Are any of you soldiers not a Muslim?

During his basic training in the Turkish army, the young man's commander addressed all the troops and asked if anyone was not a Muslim. This young brother raised his hand in front of them all. Before recently entering military service in Turkey, he had his ID card changed from Muslim to  Christian. Of course the officer knew his status beforehand, but this put it out in the open.

Ask the Lord to protect this young brother from harassment and abuse during his 15 months of mandatory service. Pray that instead of being targeted he'll be favored by others and will have numerous opportunities to share his love for Christ.

(from a Christian prayer letter, July 2011)

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The Knowing God website

The "Knowing God" website, is a fresh new source for people wishing to learn more about God. When you visit "Knowing God", you can request follow-up from someone who cares. For example, during April 2011, a ministry in Poland using the site had 33 thousand first time visits, over 5 thousand people accepted Jesus as their savior, and 465 requested follow-up. The website was developed by a French evangelical ministry.

The word "God" or "Jesus" is typed into Google's search engine more than 70 million times every day! All over the world people want to know more about God. When people search for Him on the Internet, more and more are finding them at Knowing God.

People desiring to know more are directed to the five-week "Why Jesus?" program, where they go through 5 lessons with their "e-coach." They are invited to meet their e-coach and fellow students in forums and chat rooms. The relationships bring "graduates" together in small groups and ultimately a local church.

The five-week course, now translated in more than ten languages, is part of a "stepping stone strategy". The diagram illustrates how the program helps seekers find their way to God. It also helps Christians leave their comfort zone and come alongside seekers to find their way to Christ.

The left side illustrates the "Land without God." People on this side know little or nothing about the other side. They do not realize how relevant this new life in Jesus is, either for their lives today or for their eternal lives. They feel comfortable even though they may struggle with life's questions. That's where we come along side to help them find answers and lead them to Jesus Christ.

It's exciting to see fresh, new tools being used to communicate the age-old, unchanging message of Jesus and the Cross.

(from New Hope International's "Connect" prayer letter, July 2011)

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Saudi Arabia is hell for Christian guest workers from Philippines

Saudi Arabia religious police.

Many foreign workers in Saudi Arabia who are Christians refer to Saudi Arabia as "hell," not because of its hot deserts but because of its anti-Christian spiritual climate. Church buildings are not allowed, and guest workers who meet in apartments are sometimes raided by the Mutaween, Saudi Arabia's religious police. Decades ago, it was possible to visit a home in Saudi Arabia where a beautiful choir of Filipino Christians was singing. But today, Filipinos, Indians, and other foreign Christians are sometimes beaten, imprisoned and expelled by those who have a devilish hatred of Jesus Christ.

(from Tom White, Voice of the Martyrs, July 2011)
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Genesis matters because it is vital to knowing God

You cannot really know God until you rightly understand Genesis. That's a powerful claim, but one worth considering.

If God designed the Bible to consist of 66 books, and ensured that His revelation was complete and unified and without error in every word in those 66 books, then we must be careful not to dismiss any statement or any book that God divinely inspired for us to read and study.

God did not reveal His Word in a haphazard way; there is marvelous, perfect unity from beginning to end. Nor did God wait around to see what ancient peoples wrote before He inspired the writers of the Bible. The lordship, power, and omniscience of the triune God are plainly presented from the very first pages of Genesis.

Genesis 1:1 is clearly one of the greatest apologetics in all of Scripture, for if we stumble here, we cannot, or will not, appreciate God in the rest of the Bible. Accepting God as Creator demands our acceptance of Him as Judge, and that is exactly why many refuse to acknowledge that God exists, for doing so obligates them to deal with their sin before a righteous Judge.

Of course, this is not to say that one cannot know enough about God to receive His gift of salvation should one only know, for instance, a gospel presentation from the Book of John or Romans. Many millions have been saved with just portions of Scripture.

However, suggesting that it's okay to remove the book of Genesis - or at least the first eleven chapters - from importance in our study of the Bible is to demote this portion of Scripture from the level of divine inspiration, or to denigrate the ability of God to communicate clearly on important matters that deal with the very identity and attributes of a holy, purposeful, and compassionate God.

If Genesis doesn't matter - if God didn't want us to know Him through the book of Genesis - then He would have left it out of the Bible entirely.

(from Lawrence E. Ford, Three Reasons why Genesis Matters, Acts & Facts July 2011, Institute of Creation Research)

Hundreds of Orphans accept Jesus at New Hope camp

In Moldova and Ukraine, hundred of orphans are at camp and God is at work in the kids, foster parents and the staff of New Hope International in amazing ways. In the beginning of July, Moldova had 200 orphan teens at camp from 10 different orphanages. 170 of them made a commitment to follow Christ!

The orphan camps demand extra time and effort from New Hope's staff and volunteers involved. Pray that many lives will be changed by God's power and for follow-up activities to result in further growth and the joining of youth clubs and churches where possible.

(from New Hope International's prayer letter, July 2011)

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