Tag Archives: believe

BREAKING: Inquiry Concludes Pastor Koh Abducted by State Agents

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Today, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) released its findings and decisions on the disappearances of Pastor Raymond Koh and others.

The Chairman of the panel, Dato’ Mah Weng Kai, read from the report, “The panel is of the unanimous view that Pastor Raymond Koh is a victim of an enforced disappearance that took place on February 13, 2017, at about 10.45 am. The direct and circumstantial evidence in Pastor Raymond Koh’s case proves, on a balance of probabilities, that he was abducted by State agents, namely, the Special Branch, Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur.”

At the end of the proceedings, Pastor Koh’s wife, Susanna, remarked, “We are glad that the decision has been made that they have been victims of enforced disappearances … We want to see the truth revealed. Until today, we just don’t [didn’t] know why they were taken. Malaysia is a moderate country, there should be the rule of law. There should be freedom of religion to practice one’s faith.”

Please pray for God to lead Susanna and her family in what to do next. Also, pray for His leading and direction for the Kohs’ lawyers and all who are directly involved in the case.

Pray for the families who continue to grieve. Through tears, Susanna recounted her experiences and feelings during the proceedings.

Pray the Malaysian government takes positive steps on the recommendations made by SUHAKAM for freedom of religion as a human right, to enable all Malays to practice their faith without fear of persecution.

*Representative names and photos are sometimes used to protect identity.

Scripture of the Day

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Psalms 95
1. O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
2. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with Psalms.
3. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
4. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.
5. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.
6. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.
7. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,
8. Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
9. When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.
10. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:
11. Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.

Scripture of the Day

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Philippians 1

15. Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:
16. The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:
17. But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.
18. What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.
19. For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
20. According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
21. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
22. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.
23. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
24. Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

New Phase of Sharia Law in Brunei

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Learn more at http://www.OpenDoorsUSA.org/PrayerApp

Open Doors asks for your prayers as Brunei intensifies their requirements to obey Sharia Law—Islamic regulations that govern Muslim conduct. They are introducing what is called “penal law,” which their Sultan warns will dispense strict punishments.

The first phase of the Penal Code, implemented in 2014, mandated jail terms and fines for failure to attend Friday prayers, “indecent behavior,” and other offenses. Unfortunately, we have recently learned that a second phase of the Penal Code is planned to launch on April 3rd.

“Pending provisions in Brunei’s Penal Code would allow stoning and amputation as punishments – including for children, to name only their most heinous aspects,” said Rachel Chhoa-Howard, Brunei Researcher at Amnesty International.

This code could further endanger Christians in Brunei, as the country already considers it illegal to share Christ with others or to convert away from Islam.

Please pray for the people of Brunei, including Christians, who will be subjected to this law.

Pray for the church to be both wise and bold in living out their Christian faith. Ask God to be present with them and to give them discernment for how to minister to their communities despite these increasingly fearful conditions.

Pray for the Sultan, especially that he would come to know Christ—he has the power to reverse the Penal Code and return Brunei to its former position.

*Representative names and photos are sometimes used to protect identity.

URGENT: Pastor Summoned by Authorities in Laos

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Learn more at http://www.OpenDoorsUSA.org/PrayerApp

Our brother in Laos, Pastor Xay*, is asking prayers for a meeting with authorities. He was summoned by the village chief who presented written accusations against local Christians.

Please pray Pastor Xay would have wisdom and that God would give him the right words to say.

Pray that he would have sensitivity to the Holy Spirit’s leading.

Pray he would represent the believers in the village well and that this meeting wouldn’t be the start of continued harassment.

*Representative names and photos are sometimes used to protect identity.

Scripture of the Day

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Psalm 85

9. Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.
10. Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
11. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
12. Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.
13. Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.

Chick-fil-A Responds With Perfect Bible Verse After San Antonio Bans Them Over ‘Legacy of Anti-LGBTQ Behavior

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Read it here.

The nonsensical battle against the country’s favorite fast-food restaurant is continuing, with the latest battle taking place in San Antonio.

On Thursday, administrators with the San Antonio City Council rejected a potential Chick-fil-A location at the San Antonio International Airport, citing the Atlanta-based chain’s “legacy of anti-LGBTQ behavior,” according to KTSA-FM.

The decision to scrub Chick-fil-A from its list of considerations came when the council inked a seven-year contract with Paradies Lagardère, a travel retailer that operates stores and restaurants in airports. The deal is expected to generate around $2 million in revenue for the city.

Chick-fil-A was presented as an option because of its extreme popularity and the health-conscious menu options the restaurant offers.

Regardless, the eatery won’t be allowed in the airport’s terminals because it just isn’t inclusive enough, a progressive trope dating back to 2012, when Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy expressed his personal belief that marriage is a union between one man and one woman.

Councilman Robert Treviño said providing travelers with the option of eating at Chick-fil-A would make them feel unwelcome.

“With this decision, the City Council reaffirmed the work our city has done to become a champion of equality and inclusion,” Treviño claimed. “San Antonio is a city full of compassion, and we do not have room in our public facilities for a business with a legacy of anti-LGBTQ behavior.”

He added, “Everyone has a place here and everyone should feel welcome when they walk through our airport.”

How did Chick-fil-A respond?

A spokesperson for Chick-fil-A responded to the council’s decision, citing the restaurant’s “code of conduct,” which promotes actual tolerance: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

The reference is of course to the Golden Rule found in the Bible, like in Luke 6:31.

“The 140,000 people who serve customers in our restaurants on a daily basis represent and embrace all people, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity,” the spokesperson said, according to Fox News. “Our intent is to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.”

Chick-fil-A even extended an olive branch. The spokesperson revealed the restaurant’s intention to reach out to the San Antonio City Council to have a “thoughtful dialogue” about the matter.

“It’s unfortunate that mischaracterizations of our brand have led to decisions like this,” the statement added. “The sole focus of the Chick-fil-A Foundation is to support causes focused on youth and education. We are proud of the positive impact we are making in communities across America and have been transparent about our giving on our website.”

Why does it matter?

Here’s the truth: Just about everyone in the country — political persuasion aside — really likes Chick-fil-A, because people just want good food.

But that hasn’t stopped a really loud minority from doing their level best to create a conflict where there really isn’t one. Earlier this week, for example, the left-wing blog Think Progress declared Chick-fil-A has continued to donate to “anti-LGBTQ” groups.

After reading the story, it’s revealed the restaurant donated north of $1.6 million to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, $150,000 to Salvation Army and $6,000 to the Paul Anderson Youth Home. Each of those three Christian organizations simply hold to mainstream Christian theology when it comes to marriage.

Christian Mom Receives Backlash for Telling Gay Man on Live TV His Lifestyle ‘Is a Choice’

The irony in all of this is the very people who claim to champion tolerance and pluralism just can’t seem to stomach allowing a restaurant whose CEO they have a personal beef with to continue to exist for other people to enjoy.

Those on the far left have intentionally conflated tolerating something and offering that same thing full-throated endorsement. In reality, those two actions are — by their very definitions — polar opposites.

If Chick-fil-A’s critics were actually concerned about genuine tolerance and not spurring on some nonsensical culture war, they’d concede it’s perfectly acceptable to coexist with Cathy and his mainstream Christian theology on marriage without embracing it as their own worldviews.

The moral of this story should be rather simple: If people tolerate their differences of opinion with Cathy, they can fully embrace his restaurant’s wonderful chicken. And then we all win.

Scripture of the Day

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John 6

4. And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.
5. When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?
6. And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.
7. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.
8. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him,
9. There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?
10. And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
12. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
13. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

Scripture of the Day

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Second Corinthians 3

11. For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
12. Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:
13. And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:
14. But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.
15. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.
16. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.
17. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Scripture of the Day

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Psalms 81

1. Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.
2. Take A Psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.
3. Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.
4. For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.
5. This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not.

Predominately Christian Town Under Attack in Syria

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Learn more at http://www.OpenDoorsUSA.org/PrayerApp

According to International Christian Concern, the Jaysh al-Izza faction of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) recently carried out a second attack on Mhardeh—one of the largest Christian-majority towns in Syria. Sadly, the FSA had previously attacked the same town in September 2018, leaving at least 10 Christians killed and 20 wounded. The city has also been frequently targeted by al-Qaeda and their splinter groups.

Henriette Kats, Persecution Analyst at World Watch Research, comments, “Although in this last attack there were no reports of human loses, this news shows that peace is still far off, despite the fact that the levels of fighting in the Syrian civil war are currently not as high as they have been in the past. Fighting continues particularly in areas close to the frontline where government-held territory—like Mhardeh—borders on areas controlled by rebel militias. But according to Syrian Christians these attacks are not just about the strategic position of Mhardeh; they also suspect an anti-Christian element since neighboring Muslim-majority towns have not been attacked.”

Please pray for peace in Mhardeh and for the Christians there to be beacons of Christ’s love to their neighbors in the midst of persecution.

Pray the war in Syria comes to an end completely.

Pray Syrians’ hope is renewed and revived.

*Representative names and photos are sometimes used to protect identity.

Scripture of the Day

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John 7

16. Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.
17. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
18. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him

Pray for Family and Church of Murdered Pastor in Myanmar

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Learn more at http://www.OpenDoorsUSA.org/PrayerApp

Friends, please join us in praying for the family and church of Pastor Tun Nu who was recently kidnapped. Pastor Tun Nu served in Rakine State, Myanmar and was abducted from his home by a local insurgency group.

Sadly, Pastor Tun Nu is now reported to have been killed by the insurgency group. The incident has created an atmosphere of fear amongst other pastors in the area.

Please pray for comfort and strength for Pastor Tun Nu’s wife and three children.

Pray Pastor Tun Nu’s church would have peace and courage.

Pray for the safety of church pastors and believers in Rakine State.

*Representative names and photos are sometimes used to protect identity.

Pray for New Prayer Campaign

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Learn more at http://www.OpenDoorsUSA.org/PrayerApp

In the near future, Open Doors USA will be launching our Hope for the Middle East Prayer Campaign that will focus on praying for persecuted Christians in countries like Iraq and Syria. We’re asking God to restore entire Christian communities, homes, schools, churches and ministry centers—in the wake of ISIS—and to bring back hope.

You will be able to access monthly prayer requests and other updates on our Hope for the Middle East prayer center on the ODUSA website.

Please pray that God will continue to be in the details of planning and launching the Hope4ME Prayer Campaign.

Pray that Open Doors staff working on the Prayer Campaign would have wisdom and leading from the Lord.

Pray that God will stir the hearts of His church in the U.S.A. to join the movement of prayer alongside our brothers and sisters in the Middle East.

*Representative names and photos are sometimes used to protect identity.