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CHRISTIAN WORLD NEWS REPORT

July 4, 2009

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CHRISTIAN NEWS HEADLINES

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INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS BOARD

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How Good It Is to Thank the Lord: Why Scripture Commands Us to Sing

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CHRISTIAN NEWS HEADLINES

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

-John 3:16

Duke's homosexual rape case elicits silence

A professor of criminology at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington says the outrage over a homosexual statutory rape case at Duke University is a deafening sound of silence. Caution: This story contains descriptions that some may find offensive.

Sotomayor's touted 'experience' a concern

The head of a group that promotes constitutionalist judicial nominees says he's concerned by the admission of President Obama's Supreme Court nominee that the work she performed for the Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund will influence her judging.

Warren speaking to Islamic group with terror ties

The leader of a Messianic Jewish ministry is questioning the decision of mega-church pastor Rick Warren to address a Muslim group, which has terrorist connections, during its annual convention over the Fourth of July weekend.

Ouch! Planned Parenthood stung again...

Live Action has released a video of another Planned Parenthood abortion clinic -- the pro-life organization's seventh such undercover probe nationwide.

Same old, same old - ACLU vs. public prayer

Attorneys are preparing for trial in another ACLU challenge against praying before school board meetings. The case was filed against a Louisiana school district.

Obama immigration summit snubs expert

Congressman Steve King -- the ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Immigration -- thinks his staunch opposition to amnesty is the reason President Barack Obama didn't invite him to a recent White House summit on immigration.

Investigation sought into abortionist's practices

Operation Rescue is conducting a research project on Nebraska abortionist Leroy Carhart.

Obama hopes to persuade all Americans to accept homosexuality

Barack Obama says that while he's dedicated to expanding homosexual rights, many Americans still cling to what he calls "worn arguments and old attitudes."

Skyrocketing costs - the cap-and-trade legacy

Conservatives are warning that the cap-and-trade bill heading to the Senate for consideration will raise energy costs, increase unemployment, and weaken the economy, if enacted.

High court punts in Bible club case

The Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal from Christian students whose proposed Bible club was denied official recognition and funding at their high school.

Teachers' union to consider abortion issue

Conservative teachers within the NEA will call for the union to drop its support of abortion.

Controversial hospital merger halted

A Catholic hospital chain in Massachusetts has bowed to public pressure -- benefitting numerous unborn children in the process.

Alice in medical care

Most political and media discussions of medical care have an air of unreality reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland.

Are environmentalists scaring your kids?

Parents, be on the alert for a little propaganda film that's making the rounds on the web and infiltrating school classrooms.

No friend of freedom

When we accept the increased role of government to prevent our failure, we necessarily grant it the power to prevent our success and prosperity.

U.S.-Israel - a potential 'diplomatic train wreck'

best-selling author Joel Rosenberg believes the U.S. and Israel are headed for a diplomatic train wreck over the alleged "peace process" with the Palestinians.

School backpedaling on homosexual parade involvement

Chicago elementary school children recently led a "gay pride" parade.

Documentary exposes black genocide

Life Dynamics has produced a documentary called Maafa 21 that exposes black genocide through abortion in the 21st century.

Inquiry continues into Walpin firing

Senator Chuck Grassley says President Obama has yet to provide Congress with a satisfactory explanation for why he fired Gerald Walpin from his position as Inspector General at the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Peru's gov't dropping forced sterilization case

Pro-lifers, along with human-rights and feminist groups, are lamenting the decision of Peru's government to end its probe of forced sterilizations without filing charges.

Stop 'chain migration' - focus on nuclear family

An immigration reform organization says a bill introduced in the U.S. House would go a long way in reducing the problem of chain migration.

High court rules in favor of white firefighters

The Supreme Court has ruled that white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., were unfairly denied promotions because of their race, reversing a decision that high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor endorsed as an appeals court judge.

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INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS BOARD

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.-I Timothy 2:1-4

WORLD LEADERS. Please pray today for Governor Andrew Gurr of Saint Helena (South Atlantic Ocean, midway between South America and Africa).

LEON, GUANAJUATO, MEXICO (lay-OWN, wahn-ah-WHAH-toe). “Be strong, and let us show ourselves courageous for the sake of our people and for the cities of our God; and may the Lord do what is good in His sight” (2 Samuel 10:12). “Though our struggle today is different than in times past, plead with Team Leon that God will go before us into the cities. At times we, too, feel pressed on all sides, yet we call upon the Lord for church planters to be filled with courage as they publicly proclaim the Lord in Leon. Entreat the Lord to give us direction, boldness and wisdom each day as we serve Him in Leon.” http://www.macregion.org

MANDARIN CHINESE IN CANADA. Give thanks to God for providing leaders to maximize opportunities for making disciples among Chinese teenagers. At different times and in different ways, God has led three mothers of teenagers to join the leadership team of the English youth ministry at Calgary Truth Baptist Church. Thank God for Mrs. L, Mrs. Y and Mrs. C. All three have a heart to see young Chinese immigrants follow Jesus and are willing to give of their time and energy to be used by the Lord. http://www.macregion.org

SANTA CATARINA, BRAZIL (sahn-tah cah-tah-REE-nah). Missionaries Ron and Alana Greenwich request prayer for the new congregation in Praia da Pinheira near Florianopolis. Pray that God will encourage the pastor with a renewed vision and passion for reaching the lost in that area. Pray especially for the young couples who are attending, asking that they will be used of God to reach other young couples for Christ. Pray that there will be abundant seed sowing by the Christians in that community!

HUNGARIANS OF WESTERN HUNGARY. Please pray along with Baptist representatives Larry and Melinda Ewing in Gyor, Hungary, for AK and her preteen daughter, AC. They have heard the gospel four times now and are strongly considering being obedient to the gospel. May the Holy Spirit open their hearts to the truth so that salvation may come to their house very soon. http://www.hope4hungary.com

AMHARA OF ETHIOPIA (ahm-HAR-ah). Around the Easter holiday and up until now, close to 700 or more people have seen the “JESUS” film, either on television in homes or on a large screen. In the countryside, most people had never seen a film, let alone one in their own language. Please pray that God will bring to mind what they heard and saw on the film. Ask Him to open their hearts and minds to the truth of the gospel, and pray that many will believe and receive Christ as their Savior and turn their lives over to Him. http://www.experiencename.com

ONESTORY: WEST AFRICA. Kacy of the OneStory Kita Malinke Team writes: “One of our friends who is helping us test the translation of the stories, N, recently heard the story for the first time of how Jesus was born. He had, in the previous few weeks, heard about promises God made to Abraham’s descendents to send a Savior and a King who would come to speak peace. Now, upon hearing how Jesus came to be--not in the normal way like the rest of us--he was struck by the story. Even a week later, when I was ready to listen to the next story with him, he still gushed over what he had heard and insisted that we play the story for a friend who was visiting. The man was a Muslim teacher. He also was intrigued by the implications of the story. Pray for N as we continue to talk about the stories of Jesus and what He did to save those who follow Him. Pray for N’s heart to be open and for him to recognize how Jesus is able to save him too.”

TUAREG OF WEST AFRICA (TWAR-eg). God’s Word is truth and never returns void. Pray for young Tuareg men who have begun listening to and reading God’s Word for the first time in their lives. Pray that His Word will penetrate the hearts of these young men, and that the cares of this world will not pull them away from the desire to learn the truth about God.

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (joh-HAHN-is-burg). The Western Gauteng Evangelism Team is grateful for your prayers for their newest team member, journeyman Zach Townsend. Join them in giving thanks as they write: “Zach is adjusting very well. He is attending the ‘40 Days and 40 Nights’ (40/40) new missionary orientation and is enjoying the experience and learning a lot about Africa.” http://thewget.blogspot.com

ZAMBIA. The city of Lusaka, Zambia, is a city of more than 2 million people. Some say that the population has reached 2.5 million, and they are probably right, judging from the number of cars, buses and people seen all over town. Approximately 20 percent of the population of Zambia lives in and around the city. Many high- and low-density housing developments are springing up, and people are moving to the city in larger and larger numbers. New commercial buildings are being started almost every week. Pray for the churches of the Lusaka Baptist Fellowship Churches Association as they seek to plant new churches among the increasing population. Pray that people will have an opportunity to respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

CHINA. Ask God to strengthen the marriages of Chinese Christians. Pray that spouses who are still living in darkness will soon receive the Son and walk in the light. Pray that those who are equally yoked will grow in love for each other and for Him. Pray that Christian couples will seek His will in decisions large and small and will commit their marriages, families and homes completely to Him.

SUZHOU, CHINA (soo-JOH). “In February, you prayed for one specific subgroup of people in our city. Praise God for how He works so wonderfully in answer to your prayers. Over the course of the past three months, we have seen several of these accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and follow in obedience with baptism. We have seen believers in this group start to take on more responsibility for sharing the gospel with others and discipling the new believers. There are now two young churches among this population group. Thank you for your continued prayers on their behalf.” http://www.praysuzhou.com

TAG PEOPLE OF THE PACIFIC RIM. A Tag believer working in her home began to sing a song of praise to her Savior in her heart language. Her neighbor, a defender of the majority religion of the Tags, overheard her. Under threats, this family has now fled their home. Please pray that their lights will burn even brighter. It seems that a result of the unrest in Tagland has been persecution of believers. Pray for these brothers and sisters, asking that these trials will produce godly character. “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4, NASB).

HINDKO SPEAKERS OF PAKISTAN (HEND-koh). “We rejoice to learn that A, a villager in the Hindko area, has professed faith in Jesus through the faithful efforts of a national partner. Please pray for A and ask the Holy Spirit to show him the meaning and importance of baptism. Ask the Father to give him the courage to obey God’s commands even though his family does not understand or accept his decision to become a follower of Jesus. Pray that through his obedience, A’s family will also come to believe in Jesus!” http://www.go2southasia.org

INDIA. In 1631, Shah Jahan’s beloved wife died giving birth to their fourteenth child. His grief was great, as had been their love. The Taj Mahal was constructed over the next 22 years as a mausoleum and monument dedicated to Mumtaz Mahal and to their love. The architecture is amazing in design, precision and beauty, and it reflects the passion and care that the Mughal emperor dedicated to the project. His intention: to preserve Mumtaz, her memory, and their love for eternity. Shah Jahan planned for his own death as well. His idea was to build an exact replica of the Taj Mahal in black marble on the opposite side of the river. Yet, Shah Jahan’s black Taj lies desolate and abandoned. His own son placed him under house arrest, where he ultimately died. No one could question the emperor’s devotion. His plans were well made. The problem is that he thought he could do that of which only God is capable. The same misconception is at work today. Whether you are in South Asia or south Georgia, you can see people around you who are trying to make something of themselves. The difficulty is that so many of them do not comprehend that their created purpose is to glorify God. Please pray that Indians seeking an eternal love will turn to the only source: Jesus. Pray that their lives will be a monument to the grace of God. http://www.go2southasia.org

LAST FRONTIER. Your prayers for the community leader are being answered! Mr. G, a fellowship leader of one people group, was able to share a Bible and the Good News with Mr. P, a community leader of another people group. Other family members who heard the Good News for the first time were Mr. P’s wife, parents, children and two younger brothers, one of whom is a shaman in his community. Holding the Bible in his hands, Mr. P said with respect, “This is the Word of God.” Pray that Mr. P and his family will read God’s Word and be drawn to faith in the Most High God.

MUSLIMS: PRAYING BEYOND THE WALL. The Sangil people of the Philippines are an impoverished Muslim people group who live along the seashores of the Philippines’ southern islands. Fishing and hillside farming are their major occupations. Infant mortality and malnutrition are high. Most Sangil have never had the opportunity to go to school. Give thanks that God is calling the Sangil to Himself. After their salvation, some Sangil believers have been very effective evangelists, enthusiastically sharing the hope they found in Christ with others, regardless of the consequences. Pray for open doors and open hearts among the Sangil. Pray for believers in the Philippines to reach out to their Muslim neighbors in love. Ask God to meet both their physical and their spiritual needs and to raise up the Sangil as His witnesses to other, more closed and isolated Muslim tribes. http://btw.imb.org

www.imb.org

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How Good It Is to Thank the Lord:

Why Scripture Commands

Us to Sing

At BreakPoint’s blog, The Point, we had a lively debate over church music—especially the now-common practice of bands performing during Sunday worship.

Much of the debate focused contemporary music versus traditional hymns. But one of our bloggers invited readers to consider another question: Does God intend us to merely listen to music—or to sing ourselves?

Theologian T.M. Moore answers this question in an article he wrote for BreakPoint Online called “Whatever Happened to Singing?” It’s curious, Moore writes, that “Scripture gives us no specific guidance in how to listen to music. Music, according to the Bible, is not the spectator sport we have made it to be.” Instead, we find many commands to sing.

Earlier generations of Christians sang on all sorts of occasions, Moore writes. When they were locked up in jail, Paul and Silas sang psalms. So did early Christians as they went about their chores. As Moore notes: “Celtic Christians considered singing an important spiritual discipline for making progress in the life of faith. Their spiritual descendents of the 16th to the 19th centuries wrote songs for everything from lighting the fire to milking the cows to heading out to sea. They set those songs in the form of prayers to God for blessing, guidance, and help.”

We see this point illustrated in the 1985 film Witness. After the barn-raising, Amish men sang together as they began walking home.

Why do so many modern Christians neglect the practice of singing spiritual songs?

First, it’s much more enjoyable to listen to professional singers than to the sound of our own voices—especially if you have a voice like mine.

Second, Moore writes, “singing is hard work.” It “takes a commitment of the mind (in remembering the lyrics, melody, and beat). It takes a commitment of the heart (in summoning up the proper affections.)” It also calls on our strength “(in exercising the voice and lungs).” It’s much easier to pop a CD in the player.

Third, most of us don’t know many spiritual songs all the way through.

But singing is good for us—which is why we ought to recover the spiritual discipline of singing to the Lord. And when learning the songs all the way through, we ought to look for opportunities to sing “the Lord’s own words back to Him.”

Moms could lead their kids in song on the drive to school in the morning. (It might even help wake them up.) Instead of turning on the TV after dinner, parents might lead their kids in some joyous singing to the Lord. This is a practice in Scotland. Just for fun, we might even dig up those songs Christians used to sing when they lit the fire and milked the cows.

Singing hymns about God’s love and protection can also provide comfort in a dangerous situation—like when a loved one is undergoing surgery, or when you’re driving during a blizzard. 

As Moore puts it, “Singing psalms deepens us theologically, [and] puts us in the company of that great unseen host who have gone before us and surround us as faithful witnesses to the Lord.”

So no matter what kind of voice you have, or what day of the week it is, lift up your voice and sing praise to God Most High.

For Further Reading and Information

Anne Morse, “Stuff Christians Hate (Or Should),” The Point, 23 June 2009.

T.M. Moore, “Whatever Happened to Singing?,” BreakPoint Online, 5 December 2003.

Read Psalm 92.

www.breakpoint.org

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