Volume 5 Issue 35

Warfare prayer of the soldiers of the Army of Jesus to bind and destroy the works of the devil

Let us bind and destroy the works of the devil in the name of Jesus Christ who has conquered sin, satan, curse and death on the cross

Pro  22:22  The spirit which makes one rob the poor because they are poor

Unwilling to disgrace

Today many marriages end up in divorce after a long judicial or ecclesial (if Christian) process. We have an example of a man in the Bible who wanted to divorce his wife even before marriage. Let us meditate on that this week.

Joseph, who is chosen to be the foster father to Jesus, faced the same problem with his wife. Here the problem was serious because his wife seemed to be pregnant even before they come together. This is a clear justifiable case for divorce. But Joseph a righteous man and unwilling to disgrace her, decided to divorce her secretly. Joseph’s righteousness manifested in doing it secretly. Why secretly?

Joseph was particular that Mary’s future should not be affected. If the real reason for divorce is publicly known, she will be stoned to death. He wanted to safeguard her even while observing the commandment.

This speaks loudly against disgracing one’s husband or  wife by hiring lawyers for money to speak against your spouse. At least for a few days, months, years you have loved a person sincerely. How can you betray him/her or  desert him/her forever. This is unfaithfulness. This is against the vow you have taken with your wife/husband on the wedding day in the presence of God, in front many witnesses. 

Mat 1:19  Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to disgrace her, decided to divorce her secretly.

While Joseph was compelled to take a legal step against Mary, he was pricked in his conscience.  He wanted to check with God whether he was doing the right thing. The Lord sent an angel to clarify his doubt. Once he got the answer from God, lifelong he was bound by that. He never wavered in his decision again.

Beloved husbands, beloved wives, whenever you have problem with your spouse, before taking it to anybody, take it to God for finding a solution. After getting a reply, abide by that. Your parents,  the whole society , religious laws all might be against you. But everything depends on you. Once you abide by the decision of God, nothing can shake you.

A Purposeful Pattern

The most common explanation for the existence of early house churches was the pressure of persecution, similar to the situation that exists today in China or Iran. Suppose there had been no first century persecution are we to assume that church buildings would automatically have been constructed to allow individual congregations could swell to enormous size, limited only by the dimensions of the largest building affordable? Persecution or not, might the apostles have laid down a purposeful pattern of smaller congregations? It is a design axiom that follows function. Meeting in a smaller setting would have a practical effect on one’s church life. The apostles’ belief concerning the function of the church was naturally expressed in the form that the church took on in the first century. Some of the distinct practices of those early house churches are worth considering:

1. The Church as Family: One over arching significance of the New Testament church lies in its theology of community. The church was depicted by apostolic writers in terms which describe a family. Believers are children of God (1Jn 3:1) who have been born into his family (Jn 1:12-13). God’s people are thus seen as part of God’s household (Ep 2:19, Ga 6:10).  They are called brothers and sisters (Phm 2, Ro 16:2). Consequently, Christians are to relate to each other as members of a family (1Ti 5:1-2; Ro 16:13).  Out of this theological point that God’s children are family arises many church practice issues, such as the size congregation that best facilities our functioning as God’s family. (More on this below).
2. The Holy Meal: The Lord’s Supper was originally celebrated weekly as a full, fellowship meal (the Agapé Feast). Early church meetings, centered around the Lord’s Table, were tremendous times of fellowship, community and encouragement). Rather than a funeral-like atmosphere, the Lord’s Supper was celebrated in anticipation of the Wedding Banquet of the Lamb. Each local church is to be like a family; one of the most common things families do is to eat together. The larger the congregation, the less family-like and the more impersonal the Lord’s Supper as a true meal becomes.
3. Participatory Worship: Early church meetings were clearly participatory. Since public speaking is a great fear, participatory meetings are best suited to smaller gatherings, composed of people who all know each other and are true friends. Participatory meetings are impractical for large numbers. After church meetings in Roman atriums were replaced by meetings in much larger basilicas, participatory worship was replaced by worship services.
4. One Another Ministry: The Scriptures are full of the “one another” commands. Church should be associated with mutual encouragement, accountability, relationships, community and maintaining church discipline. These ideals are best accomplished in smaller congregations where people know and love each other. A large auditorium of people, most of whom are relative strangers to each other, will not easily achieve these goals. Nominal Christianity is harbored as it becomes easy to get lost in the crowd. Smaller churches can best foster the simplicity, vitality, intimacy and purity that God desires for his church. 
5. Consensus: The New Testament church had a plurality of clearly identified leaders (elders, pastors, overseers), yet these leaders led more by example and persuasion than by command. The elder-led consensus of the whole congregation was paramount in decision making.[13] Achieving consensus is possible in a church where everyone knows each other, loves each other, bears with one another, is patient with one another, and is committed to each other. However, the larger the fellowship, the more impossible it becomes to maintain relationships and lines of communication. Also, in a large congregation, the pastor necessarily functions more like the CEO of a corporation. An informal homelike setting is an effective place for the building of consensus.
6. Multiplication: House churches are low cost, can reproduce quickly, and have great potential for growth through evangelism. We need to think small in a really big way! God does not equate bigness with ability. Paul reminded that “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.  He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things — and the things that are not — to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him” (1Co 1:27-29, NIV).
7. Resource Allocation: Without a lot of money, it seemly has become almost impossible to do the Lord’s work. Charles Price, Director of Missions for the San Antonio Baptist Association, lamented that the typical cost to start a new church in North America is 2 million dollars (!)[14]Not nearly so much money is required to plant house churches. Gathering as a church in a dwelling is about as simple as it gets. The first century church turned their world upside down (Ac 17:6) and did so via small congregations (house churches). The early disciples planted churches in homes, had simple gatherings in homes and multiplied into other houses as the fellowship grew. Like the early church, a simple home can be enough for the fellowship of the church. Freed from the burden of constructing church buildings and their resulting expenses, greater sums of money can go toward the support of pastors, missionaries, evangelists and the poor.

- Steve Atkerson (To Be Continued)

Hindu Leaders Blame Nepal’s Church Growth on Greed

The former Hindu monarchy of Nepal boasts one of the fastest growing Christian populations. Hindu critics claim money and greed are driving the growth, but Christians say the country’s caste system makes Christ’s message of equality especially appealing. “Christians did some of the church reconstruction after the earthquake but they have done more for the general public, [from] emergency relief to reconstruction,” said pastor Tanka Subedi, co-chairman of the Nepal Christian Society and the leader of Nepal’s Religious Liberty Forum.

The end of Nepal’s monarchy in 2008 and the establishment of a secular government allowed more freedom of religion in the country, although freedom is not absolute. By 2015, Christians numbered more than 1 million, about 3.8 percent of Nepal’s 28.5 million people, according to the World Christian Database. Conversions of low-caste Hindus, known as Dalits, are driving the growth, according to The Guardian. Dalits suffer discrimination, deprivation, and abuse in Hindu culture due to their lowly status. “It’s not surprising that Dalits are converting en masse, or that Christian groups would be doing work within this community,” said International Christian Concern’s William Stark, noting the Dalits are the most marginalized, least educated, and neediest people in the country.  “The message of the gospel—that everyone is equal, everyone is loved by God, and God’s sacrifice was for everyone—is attractive especially to people of a Dalit background,” Stark said.

Chinese Theology Student and Aspiring Pastor Warns of Country's Increasing Persecution of Christians

Derek Lam, a Christian studying theology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, says he will probably not be allowed to fulfill his dream of being a pastor. “During the last evening of one of this summer’s camps, the leaders of the camp told the campers that ‘God would make China prosperous’ and that Xi Jinping’s pet infrastructure project known as ‘One Belt, One Road’ was ‘the path that God had prepared,’” Lam said. “The organizers of the camp then had the audacity to claim that ‘One Belt, One Road’ would help spread the gospel.”

People in Hong Kong are being pushed to the side with the country’s communist views, Lam said. “Beijing is encroaching not only on Hong Kong’s political freedoms but also on the most personal ones, such as religious beliefs, as part of a larger strategy to shut down any kind of organizing outside of the (Communist) party,” he said.

Local Authorities in Upper Egypt Prevent Christians from Holding Sunday Worship

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on Sunday, August 20, police in Ezbat Al-Forn, located in Egypt's Minya governorate, prevented local Christians from accessing a building they were using to hold Sunday worship. Father Botros Azeez, the priest who travels to Ezbat Al-Forn on a weekly basis to officiate Sunday worship, was also kept off the church premises by security forces who cordoned off the area. The security officials claimed that the Christians were refused access to the church because they had no permit to practice religious rites in the house. Police officials, represented by Brigadier General Mohamed Salah, filed a report to that effect, citing complaints reported against the Christians by local Muslims in Ezbat Al-Forn.

William Stark, ICC's Regional Manager, said, "The forced closure of the church in Ezbat Al-Forn is another example of how authorities use Egypt's church building laws and regulations to persecute the country's Christian community. The fact that Christians were prevented from using a building they had openly used for worship for years only a week after church leadership complained about the closure of churches clearly shows the arbitrary and punitive way in which authorities apply the church building laws and regulations. Clear reforms must be made to Egypt's church building laws and regulations if Christians are to truly be able to exercise their religious freedom rights. Until then, local authorities will continue to use these vague laws and regulations to close churches and prevent worship whenever and wherever they please."

Indian Christians Experience Record-Breaking Persecution in 2017

Indian Christians experienced almost as many attacks in the first half of the 2017 as they did in the entire year of 2016. That's according to a new report from the persecution watchdog organization Open Doors. According to the report, there were 410 reported incidents targeting Indian Christians in the first six months of this year. Last year, there were 441 reported incidents total.

Eighty-four of those incidents were violent assaults. Of those 84 violent attacks, 32 would have been deadly if timely medical-aid had not been provided. One partner told Open Doors the Indian government fails to punish attackers, which emboldens them to target Christians even more.

"When Christians are beaten up by extremists, they are injured mostly on their heads or vital body parts. There was one incident earlier this year when the victim was attacked by a sword to his head. He was bleeding profusely and was critically injured… Attackers do not care if the person dies. They know they will not be punished because the Government (and hence the judiciary) will take their side. In most cases attackers go unpunished," the partner said.While some Christians may not be physically attacked, they pay a heavy societal toll for following Christ. While the Indian government speaks of religious freedom and secularism, the government is run by a Hindu nationalist party called RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh). Leaders are embracing Hinduism more and becoming less tolerant of other religions, especially Christians.

One Christian leader said he was once a Hindu nationalist and persecuted Christians before he made the decision to follow Christ. "Before I converted to Christianity, I used to be a staunch Hindu. I also joined RSS at that time and started working with them. The party upholds Hindutva ideology and believes that if Christians in India aren't controlled, they would convert all the Hindus in the country and Hindutva would lose its identity," he told Oepn Doors. "Hence RSS wants to do their best to stop Christians from preaching about their faith. They would go to any extremes for that. I myself persecuted many Christians until I came to the Christian faith and realized what I had been doing." India's Christians are fighting back by lobbying their government officials.

The National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), which represents 14 million Protestant and Orthodox Christians, recently wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in hopes he would condemn the persecution. No such actions have been taken by the Indian government since that letter was written.

This Month in NWC we are worshipping for “Karnataka”. Book your slot for worship. No doubt the nation is going to be shaken during our worship. Be ready and prepare for that.

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Praise God for the successful completion of 14747 slots in National Worship Centre with a Non Stop Worship (24/7)   

1) When  I started worshipping in the Centre Jesus came  near me. I felt his presence and saw light shining .He spoke to me like this” I have come as a light to shine in the world.You have been chosen to be the light to everyone and shine in the world and you will be a witness to me.”

2) At the time of my worshipping in the Centre  God spoke to me like this “ All the deception of the enemy will go away.The servants of God have all turned away from me and now started leading worldly life. Immediately go and preach my words  to  the people.”

3) As soon as I entered the Worship Centre I felt the presence of God. When  I started singing ,  my head, two hands and legs started shaking and felt a power entering into me. Again when I started praising I was filled fully with power.

 4) God showed me how he is protecting me and the family in all the critical situations. God clearly told me to wait patiently for His coming (Rapture).

This Month in NWC we are worshipping for “Karnataka”. Book your slot for worship. No doubt the nation is going to be shaken during our worship. Be ready and prepare for that.