A Shepherd to my people

David was called, to be a shepherd to his people. In 2 Samuel 5: 1-2 it is written:

Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “The Lord said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’”

Prayer: Heavenly Father you do not see the leaders of a people as rulers, but as shepherds, because you are a shepherd yourself. The way you deal with us is completely different from what we often experience in this world. A shepherd cares for those entrusted to him. This is how we should deal with the people who are entrusted to us, motivated by the experience we have with you. To care and  to help each other. Give us this eye for your personality, so that we can encourage each other, especially in this challenging times.

You lead us through the Holy Spirit so we can see how we can help each other. To whom we should talk on the phone or give a little gift.

At this point we would also like to ask you for our government. Give them wisdom to make the right decisions. Bless them in their assignments and give them unity on the actions that must be taken, and which can be left out.

Heavenly Father, we ask you for wisdom among our people so that we do not endanger one another, but also find ways to encourage one another.

We ask you for people who are sick that you be with them and give wisdom and strength to the doctors and carers.

We also pray for the family members who have lost someone. Help us to be there for one another, just as a shepherd who is there for those entrusted to him. Let us be people like caring shepherds.

God my shepherd

The picture that God is a shepherd appears for the first time by Jacob. Genesis 48:15: He (Jacob) blessed Joseph and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Jacob views you as a shepherd. He said: “God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day.” If we remember what Jacob had experienced, then it is astonishing. His purpose was denied, he had to flee, he was given the wrong bride, then he had to flee again, he fought with you, his great love died prematurely, his son Josef was sold as a slave by his brothers and was told that an animal had killed him. And then the sentence: “God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day.”

Lord help us get such a view too. That we recognize that you are our shepherd in the highlight and downs of our lives. You watch over us and take cares of us. Amen

Then years of the Arab Spring

The situation in Tunisia, Sudan and Syrian Kurdistan has changed for the better.

The self-governing Kurdish, partly Christian-Aramaic north-east Syria has become a positive example. It emulates the example of the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan. Here as there, the democratic order is supported by the Christians. About both autonomous rights, however, the probable danger of Turkish incursions.

In Egypt Copts, Anglicans and Free Churches have a better time today.

The Assad regime with all the problems is still on power, but the Syrian Christians are saved from their own indigenous extermination or displacement.

In Iraq, the refuge of Christians from other parts of the country to autonomous Kurdistan has proven successful. Even in Baghdad, Basra and other countries, Christian Assyrians and Chaldeans, Baptists or Pentecostal Christians are no longer fair game for Islamists and criminals.

 

 

 

 

 

Massacre in the Congo

Bishop Melchizedec Sikuli Paluku: “In the past year alone, around 1,000 people were killed. This has been going on for ten years. It has increased especially since 2014. Massacre follows massacre”.

Paluku laments the apathy of the Congolese government and the media.

The media in our country hardly speak about it. The people here have the impression that the state does not exist here. We feel abandoned by the state authorities.”

Instead of stopping the killings and neutralizing the attackers, the military operations spread attackers.

For years, the resource-rich border area between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring Uganda has been plagued by rebels from the ADF militia, who originally came from Uganda.

Iran want to destroy Israel

It is unusual for a parliament decide the total destruction of a sovereign nation – and set itself a certain deadline. The Iranian government must destroy Israel by 2041/42.

The Iranian Corps of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) presented one of its “strategic missile bases” on Friday, which are located on the “shores of the Persian Gulf”, according to the website of the Revolutionary Guards Sepahnews.

What drives Muslims into terror?

Violence is a result of black and white thinking. Wherever peaceful tolerance fails, the situation escalates. When Jesus ask to love our enemies, he required extreme tolerance.

In France, the causes of terror have been debated for many years. The 65-year-old Gilles Kepel says: The terror is a consequence of the radicalization of Islam. The 71-year-old Olivier Roy says: Terror is an expression of the Islamization of violent radicalism. Continue reading What drives Muslims into terror?

Muslim dreams of a cross

By Zeenat, Morocco

In 2011, I wanted to learn Russian so I went to a website to register for online learning. On that website, I found an advertisement that was a link to click on to know God’s plan for your life. I clicked the button, filled out the form and received a downloadable version of Matthew’s Gospel. At that time, I became distracted with other things and forgot about it.

A month later, my internet service stopped working. In that moment, I remembered what I had downloaded and began reading Matthew. When I came to the section about the sermon on the mountain, I began to have lots of questions.

My beliefs about Christianity were entirely based on what I had been taught as a Muslim. I thought that Christians believed everything (drinking, sex, etc) was permissible at all times. I did not realize that Christians believe that Jesus was God in human form, truly the Messiah. Continue reading Muslim dreams of a cross

The Jesus movement spreads through persecution

It is not through planning and strategy, but through persecution that the Jesus movement spreads through the book of Acts.

Many think that persecution destroys the Church, but in both the past and the present God has used persecution and disasters to spread hope and salvation through the Church. Many people of different background come to the Christian faith because they experience love, forgiveness, and mercy.

The first church found new courage in view of God’s greatness. Through Psalm 2 they realized: headwinds are normal. Therefore, they do not ask for the headwind to stop, but rather that they do not allow themselves to be frightened and continue to tell without hesitation about the fact that Jesus overcame death. God’s answer to their request is to give them a new fullness of the Holy Spirit.

God of Abraham

Abraham is often seen as the father of the monotheistic religions. His way of believing is a model for all people.

Only when we understand how Abraham experienced God, can we evaluate whether we believe in Abraham’s God or we are following our own image of God.

Abraham is described as the first Muslim in sura 2:132. In John 8:39 the Jews say: “Our father is Abraham.” Jews, Christians and Muslims all see Abraham as a model of faith. But Abraham did not start three religions.

When we say we believe in the God of Abraham, we must first see what kind of God Abraham believed in and what are the characteristics of his belief.

Jesus says in John 8:39: “If you were Abraham’s children, then you would do what Abraham did.”

Desire for the temple

A member of the Knesset suggests that not only Jews should be able to freely visit the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and express their faith, but that the Third Temple should be built.

Nissim Vaturi visited the Temple Mount in December. Vaturi openly recited the traditional Jewish prayer. Vaturi is the second member of the Likud Knesset who not only enters the Temple Mount, but also calls for the construction of the third temple. In early December Likud MP Amit HaLevi was also on the Temple Mount.

More and more Muslim Arabs are demanding that Israel should remove control from the Palestinian Waqf.

Jerusalem’s Sheikh, Muhammad Ahmad Hussein, has banned UAE and Bahraini nationals entering via Israel to the Temple Mount.

The Saudi journalist Abdel Rahman Al-Lahim tweeted: “It is very important for the Emiratis and Bahrainis to discuss with Israel ways of liberating the Al-Aqsa Mosque from Palestinian thugs in order to protect visitors from Palestinian thuggery.

Rotenberg: “The time has come to replace the Supreme Muslim Council with an international council with representatives from Muslim nations that formally recognize Israel, as well as representatives from Israel, both Jewish and Muslim and the Palestinian Authority (if it is willing).”

Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahum visited the UAE. He estimated that 100,000-250,000 Muslim tourists from the region will come to Jerusalem in the future. “Just as we developed Christian tourism, we plan to work to develop Muslim tourism.” more information