14th May 2009 Edition - New Life, Australia`a Christian Newspaper

AUSTRALIA’S CHRISTIAN NEWSPAPER
VOLUME 71
NUMBER 20
Thursday 14 May 2009
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ʻPower, Power, Wonder Working Powerʼ
– HCJB Extends Its Broadcasting Reach
THANKS to a generous gift some years ago, the
Christian radio mission HCJB (‘Heralding Christ
Jesus’ Blessings’) has been able to set up a large
broadcasting facility near Kununurra in the north
west of Western Australia. The base has been
steadily expanding ever since, and former Australian Director of HCJB, David Maindonald, reports
on recent progress:
REJOICE with us in the goodness of God for all
that was achieved last dry season by the Kununurra team under the leadership of engineer Steve
Sutherland and rigger Dennis Pease.
What a joy for Glenis and myself to be back on
site early February with new CEO Dale Stagg, new
Kununurra site Manager Peter Michalke, Pastor
Milton and Robin Gabrielson, frequency manager
Ken Lingwood, engineer John Harvey, broadcast
director Dennis Adams, deputy board chairman Ken
Scott, town planner Gordon Smith and many others
An overall view of the HCJB International
– around 30 in all – as together we fellowshipped,
Broadcasting Facility in Kununurra, WA
planned, reviewed and prayed. It was a special
time.
tle or no interruption. HCJB’s global aims that help us stay
Praise God that a third HC100 transmitter is coming to us
focused are:
from Ecuador via HCJB’s Technology Centre in Elkhart, USA,
to reach those people groups that have never heard the
where it will be refurbished to suit our Australian power requireGospel;
ment plus be equipped for digital broadcasting.
The new main switchboards worth $40,000 have just arrived to reach people groups with restricted access to the Gospel;
to mobilize believers to demonstrate and proclaim Christ in
on site and the design and construction of the new ‘4 transmitall His saving and sanctifying power.
ter in/8 antenna out’ switch matrix is under way. The design of
The Word of God reminds us again and again of the
air conditioning for the transmitter building and transmitter hall is
redeeming,
cleansing power of the blood of our Saviour; also of
complete, and in faith all are ordered for June delivery.
the
enabling
power of His Holy Spirit that we might be His witPraise God that even with the remoteness of Kununurra we
nesses
to
the
ends of the Earth, and that’s what this Interhave been able to sign a contract with Telstra to have a Fibre
national
Broadcasting
Facility at Kununurra is all about.
Optic feed direct to site. This, together with new phone systems
Please
keep
bathing
this project in prayer. Keep asking our
at either end, will upgrade our Melbourne Kununurra communiGreat
God
for
His
wonderful
provision of the $400,000 funding
cations and guarantee a high quality studio transmitter link.
to
enable
over
3km
of
high
tension
power to be connected withGod willing, the erecting of towers for this first group of anout
delay.
Pray
that
the
redeeming
message
of the ‘power,
tennas will be completed by the end of June. Antenna construcpower,
wonder
working
power
of
the
precious
blood of the
tion and erection will take place during July, August and SepLamb’
would
bring
many
into
the
Kingdom
of
our
great God and
tember. The third transmitter will hopefully be the first installed
soon
coming
King.
on the new site, enabling it to be powered up, antennas
– HCJB News April 2009 No 132
matched and then, God willing, broadcasting transferred with lit-
www.nlife.com.au ‘Tell the people the full message of this new life.’ (Acts 5.20b)
HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE WITH THE WILSONS
A Week To Remember
TAHLEE Ministries Inc is holding a Week to
Remember at Tahlee in July with Oz Family
Life. They ask that God will send to them
the right couples to be blessed by that
week. Contact: 02 4997 3003 or see
www.tahlee.org In other Tahlee news, Ron
and Pam Schravemade will be holding a
week-long after-school mission at Nambucca Presbyterian Church on the NSW
North Coast from Monday 18 May.
IFES Regional Conference, Berlin,
Germany
PRAY for the participants as they explore
the question 'Has science buried God?' May
students be even more grounded in their
faith as a result.
Mukti Indian Dinner
THE Mukti Indian Dinner will be held at
One.Community Church, 184 Surrey Rd,
Blackburn, Melbourne, on Saturday 23 May
at 7pm. Contact Glenda de Jager on 03
9890 0211 for details.
OAC Ministries National Conference
THIS OAC conference will be held in Melbourne from 20 to 24 May. Pray for the
evangelists as they consider the work in the
various States, for safety in travel and for
protection for their families.
Stephen Bevans To Speak At Whitley
WHITLEY Baptist Theological College Melbourne advises: 'We are delighted that one
of the world’s leading missiologists, Professor Stephen Bevans SVD, from Chicago, is
our guest at the Annual Mission Lecture.
Steve is an excellent speaker and will be
exploring the shape of missiology in the
twenty-first century. Plan to come, and to
bring your friends, to this outstanding event.
It’s free and public: 7.30pm on Thursday 21
May, in the Grigg Lecture Theatre at the
Whitley Theological Studies Centre, 50 The
Avenue, Parkville. An offering will be taken
for the Athol Gill Memorial Overseas Student Fund.' For further details contact Ross
Langmead on 03 9340 8021 or email
rlangmead@whitley.unimelb.edu.au
Returning To Madagascar
AFRICA Inland Mission Int asks prayer for
Peter and Kara Schaffler and their young
family due to return to a new location in
Madagascar this month where they will be
making contacts to facilitate youth ministry.
They are waiting for the birth of their third
child before leaving.
The Bible College Of Victoria
THE afternoon tea for Alumni and Friends
of BCV will be held on Wednesday afternoon, 20 May, at the College. Pray for wisdom as BCV pursues the possibility of selling the campus and moving to a new location.
Reaching Tribal People In Vietnam
PRAISE God that the Bible League is
reaching tribal people through Project Philip
Bible Studies in their heart language.
Returning Home After 25+ Years
K has been working in a restricted country
and is now returning home in August. Pray
for her preparation for re-entry and pray for
her as her ministry draws to a close after so
many years.
New Churches In Cambodia
PRAISE God for four new churches recently
planted in Cambodia by the River of Life
Church.
Nineteen Baptisms
GLO Ministries reports that their Nepalese
couple recently had 19 baptisms. During the
past three years their church has grown to
90 people including children. Pray for their
discipling.
CNEC Partners Int
CNEC seeks to present Christ-centred,
holistic, relational, and prayerful ministry.
With their British partner they have provided more than 70 tons of food and water
purification kits to the needy in Zambia.
They also support Philippine Missionary
Fellow-ship workers who have established
170 local churches and 46 church planting
efforts. Their pastors are located in rural
provinces and live below the poverty line.
Contact: PO Box 67 Croydon Park, NSW
2133, or Suite 201/901 Whitehorse Rd, Box
Hill, Vic 3128.
Special News
EVERY Home For Christ has distributed
more than 208 million Gospel booklets
throughout Brazil with some 1.25 million
people coming to Christ or requesting more
information.
Openings In Indonesia
FEBC Australia reports that their Indonesian
counterpart, YASKI, is seeking to place
radio stations within the communities to
whom they minister. Their computer has
recently crashed. Please pray for a speedy
replacement.
New National Director For Navigators
NAVIGATORS has installed Grant Dibden
as their new National Director. He is planning to have a National Council that will
meet regularly and set the direction for the
Page Two – 14 May 2009 – NEW LIFE
future. The
national office will
soon be moved
to Sydney.
'Reach Across' Asks For Prayer
MARTIN and Susanne lead the team in
Djibouti and in the immediate future have to
approach the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to
renew their work contract to stay there for
the next three years. Pray for God to indeed
go before their request and for it to be processed speedily and favourably.
Radio Outreach In Ethiopia
BROADCASTS aired under the auspices of
the Ethiopian Reformed Fellowship are
effectively proclaiming the Good News of
Jesus Christ to listeners in three major languages. Letters confirm that many are listening and becoming Christians. Pray for
follow-up.
'Facebook' Or 'Faithbook'?
THAT'S the question posed by Rev Mark
Brown, CEO of the Bible Society in New
Zealand. For the last six months he has
sought to discover new ways for Christians
to share their faith with each other and the
global on-line community. Mark has established two groups – one which writes miniature sermons that are short, sweet and profound, and the other group aims to tackle
biblical illiteracy. It is estimated that only
11% of Christians read their Bible every
day. He is presently ranked the fifth most
popular Twitter user in New Zealand.
Congregationalists Ordain Three New
Pastors
REV Alan Best was ordained at Padstow
Chinese Congregational Church on Sunday
1 March. The ordination was led by the
FCC President, Rev Hon Fred Nile MLC,
and the message was brought by the FCC
Pastoral Relations Officer, Rev. Robert
Aiken. Rev Philip Kendall was inducted to
the pastorate of Kogarah Bay Congregational Church on Sunday 29 March. The
induction was led by the FCC President
who also brought the message. Rev Bruce
Capps was ordained at Georges River
Congregational Church on Sunday 5 April.
The ordination was led by the Chairman of
the FCC Ministry Committee, Rev Michael
Boyd and the message was brought by Mr
Phil McNiece, one of Bruce’s mentors.
These ordinations have greatly strengthened the witness of the Fellowship Of
Congregational Churches.
URGENT PRAYER REQUEST:
Christians Murdered By Taliban In Pakistan
PRESS reports in Pakistan say Taliban militants have murdered two Christians in
Karachi. They’re describing the attack as
the beginning of the Talibanisation of the
biggest city in Pakistan.
The Pakistan Christian Post reports
more than 100 masked Taliban with
machine guns attacked the Christian colony
in Taiser Town on 21 April. They dragged
out two Christians who resisted and shot
them, execution-style, in front of their families.
Three nights beforehand Taliban militants chalked threats on the church and
Christian homes in the town warning Christian residents to convert to Islam. The population of Taiser Town is overwhelmingly
Muslim.
When the Christian residents awoke to
see the threats and slogans they organised
a procession to call on the authorities to
protect their community. But the police refused to send in officers or place a guard on
the church.
In nearby Sarjani Town protestors
clashed with Pashtun stallholders, leaving
three Christians and a Pashtun injured,
Could China Be A
Christian Nation
Within Ten Years?
COULD China be a great Christian nation?
Global Advance, a ministry to equip Christian pastors and businessmen, hopes so.
Vice President Jonathan Shibley says many
business leaders in China have come to
Christ. ‘Businessmen are beginning to get a
glimpse of what the Gospel looks like,
transforming not only their own lives, but
then transforming the culture around them
and becoming salt and light.’
Shibley recently returned from a Market
Place Missions conference in China to
teach Christian businessmen biblical business principles. He believes that building up
Christian business leaders will be instrumental in China's future. ‘China is potentially on the tipping point in the next decade of
either becoming a Christian nation or submitting to the god of materialism. And I think
what we do to help pour into the godly leaders of China within the next ten years will
greatly determine which way it swings.’
according to the Daily Times, and forcing
the authorities to place Sarjani under virtual
curfew. Then on the night of 21 April the
Taliban struck in Taiser Town. The
Christians locked themselves in their
homes, but militants pulled them out at gunpoint, dragging women by their hair.
According to the Pakistan Post, the gunmen shouted: ‘You infidels have to convert
to Islam or die. Why did you clean off the
warnings we chalked on your church and
the doors of your houses? How dare you
stage a procession against the Taliban?’
The Post continues: ‘In a two-hour
attack on Taiser, Taliban killed two Christians and beat dozens.’ Dr Nazir Bhatti, the
President of the Pakistan Christian Congress told the Pakistan Post that an attack
had been feared for months but no action
was taken to stop the Talibanisation of
Karachi, which is being started by this
attack on Christians. ‘This is a warning bell
for the Sindh government,’ added Dr Bhatti.
Karachi is Pakistan’s biggest city, its
main seaport and the nation’s financial capital. It is also the capital of the province of
Sindh, making the city a significant target
for the Taliban.
Release International serves persecuted
Christians worldwide. Its partner in Pakistan
describes the situation in Karachi as grave
and tense. Houses and Bibles have been
burnt and the Taliban have scrawled antiChristian slogans on walls.
‘This is another deeply worrying development for Christians in Pakistan’, said
Release CEO Andy Dipper. ‘Strict Islamic
law has been introduced in Swat Valley to
appease the militants and the Taliban have
been looking for ways to aggressively
expand the rule of Sharia law.
‘Today we are witnessing the dire consequence for Christians as the Taliban seek to
extend their influence by force – in the
biggest city in Pakistan. The government
must act now to safeguard the freedom of
all its citizens – Christian and Muslim alike –
from armed extremists.’
For the Pakistan Post article, go to:
http://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/headli
nenewsd.php?hnewsid=1088
For the Daily Times article, go to:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?pa
ge=2009?423story_23-4-2009_pg7_6
Bible Distribution Partner Encouraged
By Phenomenal Growth In India
PUNJAB is the birthplace of the Sikh religion and the only state of India with a Sikh
majority. Mawii Pudaite, with Bibles For The
World, says it's also the home of a fledgling
ministry. Spiritual hunger is strong, as evidenced by the response to one of the partner's work. ‘Already 12 fellowship groups
have been established as the result of the
200,000 copies of the Gospel of John we
provided for Pastor Masih of Punjab.’
By ‘12 fellowships,’ Pudaite means new
churches. That's remarkable growth since
last northern autumn. Encouraged by the
progress, Pastor Masih is ‘asking for one
million Gospels: 500,000 copies in Punjabi
and 500,000 in Hindi languages.
It costs 25 cents per copy to print and
deliver the Gospel into these homes, which
opens doors for the advance of Christ. In
that Gospel, this offer is made: 'If anyone
would like to read the entire New Testament, they can write for a free copy.'
Piracy Affects Christian Outreach
ONE ministry is asking Christians to pray as piracy continues to expand off the coast of
Somalia. Somali pirates are currently holding at least 16 ships and more than 250 seamen
for ransom. Global Action sends three or four containers a month through the region.
Ministry president Lars Dunberg says: ‘Right now we have one container on its way to
Burundi. We have two containers being shipped this week to Uganda. They all have to go
that way. And we also ship to Sri Lanka.’ None of their shipments have been attacked yet.
Dunberg's asking you to pray because these shipments do more than help the people
physically. Dunberg says a man who received an artificial limb is just one example of that.
‘He started to inquire about the God who had provided that. Suddenly there was a tremendous opportunity to present the Gospel. Here he had a new leg and crutches, and he found
out about Jesus.’
NEW LIFE – 14 May 2009 – Page Three
CURRENT COMMENTS – CLIFFORD WILSON
Chinese Want More Of Our Power
THE Melbourne Herald/Sun of 30 April tells
us ‘that China Inc is offering big investments
in Victoria’s electricity sector as the Federal
Government’s carbon pollution reduction
scheme looms.’
As well as that we are told that Chinese
and other interests are looking at the four
power plants in the Latrobe Valley as well
as at other potentially new projects. The
article tells us ‘that there is current uncertainty to secure a leading role in the electricity industry in Victoria for the coming
decades, and that this would add greatly to
China’s already significant foothold in the
region.’
Government sources have warned Australian commercial leaders to be alert to the
problems this would involve.
Many Bible scholars who specialise in
the prophecies about the Lord’s return see
the happenings of Revelation 9, especially
9.8 and the following verses, which include
great numbers of those coming as opponents to those who oppose the God of
Heaven and His Messiah. I personally do
not necessarily believe some of these theories and statements about fulfillments, for
I’ve been here long enough to see many
leaders classified as the Antichrist.
Prophecies have even been made, without
fulfillment, about such things as the western
part of the United States falling into the sea.
When I was 17 years of age a leading
Christian teacher told me that there was no
point in getting my shoes mended, for that
was how close it was to the Lord’s return –
and that was nearly 70 years ago.
I believe in the Lord’s soon return and
even believe it is quite possible that it might
be in my life time. However, don’t let us be
taken away by an unscriptural enthusiasm,
for this wonderful hope is true for every
generation. It is also true that no-one knows
the hour, even as our Lord made clear to
those early disciples.
My own view is that the Lord will soon
return and my prayer often is as it is at the
end of Revelation: ‘Even so, come, Lord
Jesus’. For me, it’s a real hope, for I have
known of people who have turned from the
belief in the Lord’s return because of socalled ‘sure results of prophecy’ put out by
earnest Christian teachers. I still say: ‘Even
so, come, Lord Jesus.’
‘This Finder Is A Keeper’
THIS is another heading in that same paper
of 30 April 2009. We are told in that
Herald/Sun that ‘few businesses have
become so ubiquitous as quickly as
Google’. We are also told that Google
includes ‘a combination of the dark arts of
search engine optimisation, website design,
and pay-per-click advertising.’
Most of us know what Google is – an
easy source of information in one place
which has never been available before our
generation. The Bible tells us that knowledge will increase and this very possibly is
a sign of those last times. How much more
wonderful it is that our knowledge is not
only of this world!
In John 18.36 we are told that we are
heirs of knowing about God’s Kingdom
which He promised (James 2.5) and we
have the privilege of knowing all spiritual
mysteries (I Corinthians 13.2). In a coming
day we will have even more fully the knowledge of the truth (I Timothy 2.4).
There is a form of knowledge that will
fade (I Corinthians 13.8). Our eternal reward, even in knowledge, is so much
greater than all the knowledge that Google
or any other worldly invention can offer.
What A Wonderful Reward!
IF we were asked to name the top ten
sportsmen in our time, Don Bradman would
have to be included. An extra four runs
would have given him an average of 100 for
every test match, and no other cricket player has ever come close to that. The criterion
has often been that a very good player is
one who has scored an average of more
than 50 runs, and Bradman almost doubled
that.
I thought of that when I read recently of
Phillip Hughes, a 20-year old newcomer to
test cricket, who scored two centuries in his
second test match against South Africa. The
article rightly says: ‘He has taken English
County cricket by storm’. He’s had a brief
stint in Middlesex in England, and has
scored 118, 65 not out, and 74, in his first
two matches last week. Since then he has
added another 99 not out and he has an
average in first class cricket of 178.
Admittedly this is county cricket and not test
cricket, but when we remember that these
are the first games which brought him to
prominence, we realize that he has come to
prominence in a sensational way.
He is so good that some of the English
Press are saying he should never have
been invited to play in England, even for
Page Four – 14 May 2009 – NEW LIFE
only a few days, because he is learning
about English wickets which is unfortunate
for them in the light of the forthcoming Test
match against Australia, in their country.
So what? Well, I’ve always been a ‘sport
nut’ and in my high school teaching days I
coached several sports. The future of Phillip
Hughes is very bright, and provided he
maintains this standard (a big ask!) he will
even pass our famous Don.
We Christians have an even greater
hope. For a start, if we have served our
Lord faithfully we will hear Him say: ‘Well
done, good and faithful servant’ and He will
give us the crown of life. That’s worth far
more than any plaudits of cricket commentators!
Fifty Million Masks
A NEWSPAPER report tells us that health
authorities have stockpiled 50 million surgical masks – at least two for every Australian
– and are ready to hand them out in a
swine flu pandemic. All sorts of suggestions
are being made for self-protection, including
not travelling overseas, but the situation is
certainly serious. Many countries have now
reported cases of this disease, and there
have been a number of deaths.
Again, it reminds us of the warnings that
Jesus gave in Matthew 24. This may not be
a sign of the times of the Lord’s return, but
one day there will be such signs that point
to His return. I know which side of the
fence, as they say, I want to be on when
those signs do appear. Just last week I
heard a very capable speaker talk about the
points that our Lord made in Matthew 24
about earthquakes, famines, disease and
wars. If this is a sign of the times I am glad
to say that Barbara and I personally can
earnestly say: ‘Even so, come Lord Jesus!’.
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VOLUME 71
NUMBER 20
30 April 2009
ISSN: 1033-7903
AUSTRALIA’S CHRISTIAN NEWSPAPER
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Dr Barbara Wilson
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How Did MOTHERS’ DAY Begin?
THERE are two historical strands behind this celebration. The earliest was ‘Mid-lenting’,
a Medieval custom in England. It then became ‘Mothering Sunday’, celebrated on the
middle (fourth) Sunday of Lent. As Easter is a movable date, ‘Mothering Sunday’ date
was also variable. Lent is the traditional Christian period from Ash Wednesday to Easter
Eve, the 40 weekdays commemorating Jesus Christ during His wilderness temptations,
and it became a time to express certain disciplines of self-denial and penitence. There
was indeed, as Christianity spread throughout Europe, an honouring of ‘Mother Church’
for the spiritual blessings it offered people. However, over time the church festival blended with ‘Mothering Sunday’, and people began honouring their mothers as well as the
church.
In the Middle Ages, young people living away from home tried to visit their parents
with gifts and flowers on ‘Mid-Lent’ or ‘Mothering Sunday’ and the mother baked an
especially rich, dark, ornamental ‘sinal’ cake for the occasion. The cakes might even be
decorated with wildflowers gathered by the sons and daughters.
The second historical background stems from the USA. It all started in 1907 when a
Miss Anna M Jarvis of Philadelphia felt that once a year children should pay a worthy
tribute to their mothers. She persuaded her mother’s church in Grafton, West Virginia, to
celebrate a ‘Mothers Day’ on the second Sunday in May, the second anniversary of her
mother’s death. She asked that white carnations be worn by those attending.
The plan sparked popular interest and within four years the observance spread to
almost every American State. In 1912 a Mothers Day Association was founded to foster
the celebration and in 1914 the American Congress officially designated it as a national
holiday when mothers were to be honoured and the national Flag displayed. President
Woodrow Wilson’s Proclamation was worded: ‘A public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of the country’. It is very popular now in the USA, with gifts for
mothers and the wearing of white flowers by the motherless and red flowers by others.
The observance has spread to many other lands, and Australia has followed the
American date of the second Sunday in May (10 May this year). It is indeed a worthy
celebration to recognise a precious relationship and express a personal gratitude to our
mothers for their love and sacrifice during our growing years.
There is an old Jewish saying that ‘Because God could not be everywhere, He made
mothers’ and many of us thank God for our mothers. I certainly do for mine, to whom I
owe so much! Mothers truly have the capacity to mould a nation as they influence their
children and invest so many years into their growth and preparation for adult years.
They first bear them, then care for them in their formative years and finally, in cricketing
terms, they declare, as they move back and relinquish their immediate and intimate
responsibility.
Mother-love of course must never be ‘smother-love’. Having said that however, as
many of us who have families know, a mother never stops being a mother to her children even after they have left the nest. Incidentally, that goes for fathers too, and I am
personally glad that Australians also celebrate a ‘Fathers Day’ – but that’s another story
for another time – the first Sunday in September!
Meantime, as we honour our mothers, we remember that ‘the hand that rocks the
cradle rules the world!’
– The Rev Perry Smith, Belmont, NSW
NEW LIFE – 14 May 2009 – Page Five
CHRISTIANS IN THE ACTION ...
Alan Alexander – Walking For The Lord
ALAN Alexander has dedicated his life to
inspiring people to overcome their limitations and strive to reach their potential.
For many years he led an adventure
challenge program for young people with
his local Baptist Church in Brisbane to lift
them from ‘self-doubt’ and inspire them to
achieve their goals.
Alan is now extending his initiatives to
supporting the work of The Leprosy
Mission, whose mission is also rehabilitation
– of bringing leprosy patients back into
meaningful lifestyles.
The 73-year-old wants to walk close to
1,000 km to help raise $100,000 in sponsorship for TLM’s new five-year project supporting women affected by leprosy and
other disabilities in Nepal.
‘I find if you do these things at my age,
you tend to inspire other people and that is
what I have been on about all my life, trying
to get people to lift themselves out of selfdoubt and then life becomes great,’ Alan
said. ‘When I ran my adventure challenge
program, I called it “Horizons”, which means
as far as the eye could see and that is what
young people thought, that a horizon was
as far as they could go. The idea was to
raise that horizon a little bit higher and try
and challenge them to step out of their comfort zone and do things that would lift them
in life.
‘That is what inspired me with TLM because that is what they are doing in Nepal.
When I saw TLM’s work first-hand at Anandaban Hospital I saw that they were helping
people back onto their feet and challenging
them to do things for themselves and I
came back absolutely inspired.’
Alan, who attends Kenmore Baptist
Church, wants to encourage people nationwide to join him on the walk or sponsor his
efforts as he prepares to complete the
famous ‘Bibbulmun Track’ in Western
Australia.
Alan plans to take 46 days to walk the
track which trails the picturesque rural rocky
coastline between Albany at the western
end of the Great Australian Bight and
Kalamunda, near Perth. Beginning the
966km walk on 13 May, he is camping overnight along the trail, before finishing on 27
June.
TLM is working to raise $1.5 million
needed to run a five-year medical aid project supporting women affected by leprosy
and other disabilities. The project is headed
by Australian field worker Elisa Yule based
at Anandaban Hospital, 16 km south of
Kathmandu.
The TLM project is outreaching to residents in the Ramechap and Rautahat districts, providing reconstructive surgery,
physical rehabilitation, income generating
programs and addressing the causes of
poverty such as poor diet and hygiene.
Alan Alexander has witnessed the work
of TLM in Nepal on two occasions whilst
taking part in a TLM trek in 2007 and most
recently before climbing to Gokyo in the
Himalayas, 20km from Mt Everest with his
wife and son last Christmas.
He has also raised $25,000 for TLM
over the past four years through conducting
local fundraising bush walks with his
church, friends and family.
So far six people have committed themselves to accompany Alan in various sections of the walk, including his 70-year-old
wife, Elwyn.
TLM’s Chief Executive Officer Graham
Peck said he was excited about Alan’s passion to support the work of the mission and
his desire to involve the local community.
‘I admire his passion for wanting to help
TLM’s work,’ he said. ‘Alan believes in
enabling people affected by leprosy in
Nepal to live with dignity and independence
and he believes in empowering people in
Australia to participate in this work.’
For more information about the
Bibbulmun Track walk, contact Alan on
0412732933 or email
alanel@powerup.com.au
For more details on the work of TLM
phone 03 9890 0577.
Susan Masima
New Life – Let us build you up in your most holy faith –
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Page Six – 14 May 2009 – NEW LIFE
CHRISTIAN IN THE ACTION ...
Paul Windsor Appointed Associate Director Of Langham Preaching
PAUL Windsor, for over ten years the Principal of Carey Baptist College, New Zealand, has joined the global team of Langham Partnership International.
At a service in Auckland on Sunday 19
April, Paul Windsor was commissioned for
his new work as Associate Director of Langham Preaching. Sharing responsibility for
the development of the global program,
Paul will take a special interest in the development of training initiatives in Asia and the
Pacific. Langham Preaching, one of three
international programs of LPI founded by
John Stott, works with national leaders in
over 50 countries to nurture indigenous
preaching movements for pastors and lay
preachers all around the world.
Paul and his wife Barby were brought up
in India, children of missionary families with
a long history of service in the sub-continent. Paul pursued an MDiv at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in the USA, and is
presently completing his DMin with the Australian College of Theology. First serving as
a pastor in Invercargill, New Zealand, Paul
subsequently joined the teaching staff at the
Bible College of New Zealand, now Laidlaw
College, where he taught Preaching to degree level and modules at Masters level.
In 1998 he was appointed Principal of
Carey Baptist College, during which time he
has also taught at the University of Auckland, the Baptist Theological College of
Western Australia and the Bible College of
Victoria.
He is widely respected as a preacher
and teacher, not only through his regular
work with local churches but also at pastors
conferences in Africa, Bible conventions at
Katoomba and Belgrave
Heights in Australia,
preachers conferences
and mission events. His
wide mission interests
are reflected in his
involvement with many
agencies, including
Interserve, the Evangelical Fellowship of New
Zealand (Vision Network
New Zealand), the Asia
Theological Association,
and the Tertiary Students
Christian Fellowship
(IFES).
But his real love is
helping others in the
work of preaching –
something he has done
both in the academic
environment and
amongst pastors and lay
preachers in local churches. Barby and their
five children share Paul’s
warm enthusiasm for this
new opportunity of service around the world.
In a message of
greeting read at the commissioning service,
Rev John Stott (founder), and Dr Chris
Wright (International Director) stated: ‘We
are delighted that Paul will bring his exceptional gifts, experience and humble wisdom
into the senior program team. It has been a
particular encouragement to see the way in
which Langham Preaching has grown,
impacting so many countries in each of the
Ramon A Williams – Worldwide Photos
WANT TO SEE MORE?
‘New Life’ can only publish a small selection of photos, but
you can see more of those attributed to Worldwide Photos
by going to:
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e-mail: rlgmedia@ozemail.com.au
Barby and Paul Windsor.
continents of the world. It is a joy to hear
reports of the warm response from so many
pastors and lay preachers, often in places
where the work of ministry is very tough and
sometimes dangerous, and where
resources and training facilities are almost
non-existent.
‘Since the program has been growing so
fast under God’s clear blessing, it is a strategic moment for Paul to come alongside
Jonathan Lamb to share the responsibilities
of leadership. We are so grateful to God for
Paul’s commitments to Biblical preaching, to
the training of a new generation, and to the
call to serve the churches in the Majority
World.
‘This mixture of vision, gifts and calling,
already proven in New Zealand, will
strengthen the work of Langham Preaching
in the wider international arena.’
For further information about the work of
Langham Partnership, contact Wendy Toulmin, Executive Officer, Langham Partnership Australia:
wendy.toulmin@langhampartnership.org.au
NEW LIFE – 14 May 2009 – Page Seven
HILLSONG EXTENDS ITS REACH ...
Brisbane Church Taken Over By Hillsong
GOOD news or bad news? Being based in
Melbourne New Life is not in a position to
judge. We simply publish this story as news:
‘Hillsong Covets Brisbane Church’ – so ran
the headline in Brisbane’s Courier-Mail on
20 April. The report said: ‘Sydney’s megachurch Hillsong has been accused of
“spreading its tentacles into Brisbane” with
its takeover bid for the Garden City Christian Church in Mt Gravatt, one of Brisbane’s
largest Pentecostal congregations.’
The report noted that Hillsong ‘claims
more than 20,000 parishioners each week,
a television program seen in more than 160
countries, and its Leadership College is
attended by more than 900 students.’
According to the report GCCC members
were divided on the takeover move, some
fearing a loss of the Brisbane church’s identity, independence and assets to the Houstons. Brian and Bobbie Houston, described
as ‘wealthy evangelists’ and Hillsong’s sen-
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Service each Sunday @ 10.30am
preceded by prayer @ 9.45am
Enquiries phone:
Rev Graeme Hulls, 03 9876 5346,
or Mr Barry Gregor, 03 9877 4006.
Hear ‘Amazing Grace’ 98.1
Eastern FM, each Sunday 7am
For more information visit our website:
www.prc.org.au
Presbyterian Reformed Church
Melbourne Inc (A0049333Z)
ior pastors, would become GCCC senior
pastors based in Sydney and occasionally
visiting Brisbane. A Hillsong statement said
GCCC members would not lose control over
assets.
The Thinking Theologian, a blog run by
a former Hillsong staffer, has criticised the
takeover, and a former Brisbane pastor,
Phillip L. Powell, is quoted as saying that
Hillsong was ‘spreading its tentacles into
Brisbane. This is franchising gone mad in
the name of church planting.’
A further report on 27 April noted that
‘celebrity evangelist Brian Houston and his
Sydney-based Hillsong mega-church have
taken control of … the 1,000-member
Garden City Christian Church’ on Sunday
26 April. The paper claimed that security
guards prevented the media from entering
church grounds during a secret ballot of
registered members.
The GCCC website later said the Hous-
tons were appointed
senior pastors ‘by an
overwhelming majority’.
The report continued: ‘Many churchgoers were unwilling to speak publicly.
Others voiced their opposition to Hillsong in
subtle ways. “Vote no, keep local leadership” read a message inside the windscreen
of a vehicle parked outside the church
entrance.’
The Courier-Mail said that ‘the church
would not release details of the vote but
church-goers said it was 79% in favour of
the Houstons from 669 ballots … Hundreds
of churchgoers were not allowed to vote
because they were not registered.’
According to the report, ‘Some church
members were suspicious of the outcome,
saying scrutineers were selected by the
church board which had nominated the
Houstons.’
– Royce Perkins
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Page Eight – 14 May 2009 – NEW LIFE
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‘AFTER ALL THESE YEARS ...’
Television Program Brings Enquirer And Counsellor
Together After 50 Years
– Ron Baker Meets ‘Peter’, His Counsellor
At The 1959 Billy Graham Crusade
WHEN Peter Ritchard decided to watch a
one-hour television program on the 1959
Australia Billy Graham Crusade on the Australian Christian Channel over Easter, he
didn’t realise the impact it would have on
his life.
‘My wife saw the program advertised
and because I had been involved as an 18
year old counsellor for the Crusade in Sydney, we decided to watch it,’ said Peter. ‘I
did the counsellor training and went most
nights to the Sydney Showground to talk to
those who came forward at Dr Graham’s
invitation.’
Unknown to Peter, he was to be instrumental in bringing the most unlikely person
to the point of making a decision for Christ
and then go on to a life of Christian ministry.
Ron Baker was an alcoholic and drug
addict. ‘I was into witchcraft, hated the
Church and couldn’t stand hearing about
Billy Graham,’ said Ron. ‘In 1959 I was
working as a bus driver at the Brookvale
bus depot where some of the buses were
used to take people to the Crusade meetings. I was married, although it wasn’t much
of a marriage for poor Beryl and the kids. It
got even worse for her when she went to
hear Billy Graham and made a commitment
to be a Christian. When she came home
and told me, I am ashamed to say I hit her
and told her that there was no way I was
going to have anything to do “with that
bloke Graham”.
‘But someone begged me to go and
hear Billy Graham one night. And he said:
“If I’ve got to get down in the dirt and on my
knees and beg you ...” Now I was sick from
grog, and drunk, but I went inside and got
my bus driver’s overcoat and put it on. No
tea, nothing to eat. Went out to the Crusade
with him. We sat way up in the back of the
showground.’
But that night, something miraculous
happened in Ron’s life.
‘Now I’d had 16 years in witchcraft. So I
knew what the spirit world was all about. I
knew the voice of Satan. And I knew exactly
the power of Satan. But that night, there
was another voice that came so clear and
unmistakable. All
the voice said
was: “Go”. And
Cliff Barrows told
me afterwards
that they sang
Just As I Am four
times that night,
because Billy
waited. It was the
Ron and Beryl Baker with Peter Ritchard (right).
longest he’s ever
waited in an
identical things happened to an illiterate
appeal,’ Ron said. ‘And so finally, I don’t
person at the Crusade.’
know how I got down the front, I honestly
Now 68, Peter works as an honorary
don’t know whether angels carried me, the
associate chaplain in a retirement village in
wind carried me or who carried me. But I
Sydney and has been actively involved in
was at the front. All the counsellors were
gone. And a young man, who was an assis- Christian ministry all his life. ‘My impression
of the night in question is that it was a very
tant, I think, but he was 18 years of age,
busy one because there were more enquirand he came up to me, Peter did. And he
ers than counsellors, and in fact I think I
said: “Ron, why did you come forward?” So
actually counselled two people before Ron,’
I said to him in real good Australian lanhe said.
guage with all the adjectives: “I want to
‘My wife encouraged me to make conbecome a Christian”.
tact with Ron and my son tracked him
‘So he opened his Bible and I said: “I
can't read running writing”. (I couldn't read). down. Once I spoke to him and we checked
a few facts, I realised that he was the man I
So Peter told me: “I’ll give you three verses
counselled all those years ago. The very
of Scripture.” And they went into my hearnext day he and Beryl came over and we
ing, and they are still there. “For God so
had the most wonderful reunion. I showed
loved Ron Baker, that He gave His only
Son, that if Ron Baker believed in Him, Ron him a photograph of me at around the same
age and he confirmed that I was the counBaker wouldn't perish, that he’d have eversellor he had spoken to,’ Peter said.
lasting life”.’
‘As I think about it, the first miracle that
Ron recounted this story as part of Remembering ‘59, the one-hour television doc- happened with Ron was that he was willing
to wait so long to be counselled, especially
umentary on the impact of the 1959 Crusince by his own admission he did not want
sade, hosted by Rev Karl Faase from
to go anywhere near the Crusade. Ron’s
Gymea Baptist Church which I produced
story certainly proves that even when so
and directed. As we filmed Ron telling his
much is against you, God can turn you
story, I wondered why Ron mentioned the
around and make you a worthwhile and
name of the young man who counselled
useful person.’
him? I think I now know why.
Peter and Ron are now good friends and
As Peter watched the program with his
have shared many stories of their ministries
wife Sue and heard Ron recount how he
together.
had come to faith and how the counsellor
To think that a television program could
had put his name into John 3.16, he said to
connect two people after such a long time
his wife: ‘I was that counsellor. That was
and with such a remarkable beginning is
what I did when I spoke to people.’ His wife
truly a miracle.
said: ‘Are you sure? It could have been
– Martin Johnson
someone else?’ Peter said: ‘Not unless two
NEW LIFE – 14 May 2009 – Page Nine
PERSECUTION WATCH ...
‘Remember those in prison ... and those who are
mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.’
(Hebrews 13.3)
Islamists Attack Pakistani Christian Village To Avenge 'Blasphemy'
A MUSLIM mob of 500 attacked a Christian
village of Punjab province on 1 May at
11am Pakistan time to avenge the alleged
blasphemy they claim was committed by
five Christian men a few days before.
Police arrested Christian men, including
Ashfaq Gill, Naseer Masih, Harris Masih,
Israr Wilson and Imran Masih on 28, 29
April after they were accused of tearing up
pages of the Quran.
‘An outraged Muslim mob invaded Christian village no. 90 near Sahiwal city to "kill
Christians”,’ the Voice of People UK's Country Co-ordinator in Pakistan, Aneel Ashiq
Chaudhry, told ANS by phone on 1 May.
The Christian village is thought to be
over 100 years old and most of the Christians still own land, although some of them
have sold their land to Muslims.
Following an attack of a Muslim mob in
1997 on Shantinagar, a predominantly
Christian village in east-central Pakistan,
Muslim extremists razed 800 homes and
desecrated 13 churches in and around the
town.
Possible loss of lives and damage to
properties of Christians was averted due to
intervention of the Police and Rangers, who
dispersed the mob that included Islamists
armed with weapons and clubs. Sensing the
gravity of the situation, Police and Rangers
are still patrolling the area to avert any possible eventuality during the night.
ANS understands that Christian persecution is escalating in the Islamic republic of
Pakistan as the Taliban are bent on spreading their aggressive and intolerant vision of
Islamic law across Pakistan.
Condemning the arrest of five Christians
under Pakistan blasphemy laws, Chairman
of Voice of People, Ashar Mall, has called
for repeal of blasphemy laws.
‘Enough is enough. It is about time the
laws were repealed’, said Mr Mall, pointing
to the widespread abuse of the blasphemy
laws. He urged the international community
to pressure Pakistan into repealing blasphemy laws.
He said the Voice of People is planning
to stage protest demonstrations against
recent incidents of persecution with Pakistani Christians in the UK, Denmark, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Holland,
Sweden, Switzerland, Norway and Finland.
Their website is www.voptv.org
– Dan Wooding and Sheraz Khurram,
ASSIST News Service
PLEASE PRAY FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH!
Pastor Released From Gaol
PASTOR Pavel Nenno, a Slavic Gospel
Association-sponsored church planter who
directs a shelter for homeless children in
Uzbekistan, has been released from prison.
Slavic Gospel Association's Joel Griffith
says they're not sure if he's still facing
charges. ‘We don't know what his status is,
whether there's going to be any further legal
action taken or not. But for right now, he
has been released from gaol.’
It's a definite answer to prayer! Griffith
asks: ‘Pray for the health of Pavel Nenno,
that there wouldn't be any consequences to
this stressful situation. Also pray that this
kind of pressure from the authorities would
cease, because Pavel had been doing a
really wonderful ministry there in Old
Sergeli. Pray for his ministry and that he
would get the tools he needs. Pray that
somehow we would be able to help replace
what Pavel has lost: his computer, some
equipment and his pastors' library.’
Imprisoned Christian Women In Peril
In Iran
MARYAM Rostampour (27) and Marzieh
Esmaeilabad (30) are active members of
Iran's Christian community. After being
arrested by officers from the Ministry of
Intelligence on 5 March, they faced a hearing in a Revolutionary Court on 18 March.
Accused of 'acting against state security'
and 'taking part in illegal gatherings', they
were then imprisoned without charge in the
notorious Evin Prison, sharing an overcrowded cell with 27 other women. They are
both very ill and are not receiving adequate
medical attention. Amnesty International has
issued an Urgent Action appeal on their behalf (AI UA 95-90 Iran). With its stance on
the world's stage, advocacy for Iran seems
hopeless, but we can enter the courts of the
Lord – and 'nothing will be impossible with
God' (Luke 1.37 ESV). Please pray for God
to:
bless Maryam Rostampour and Marzieh
Esmaeilabad with healing, comfort and radiant peace; may their testimony and their
time in Evin Prison be blessed and used by
the Holy Spirit.
intervene to restrain any hands that
would beat or torture Maryam or Marzieh;
may the God of justice see that justice is
delivered.
liberate the Iranian people from the
shackles and blindness of Islam so they
might discover the joy and peace that
comes from grace, and the liberty that
comes with the Holy Spirit. May the truth
Page Ten – 14 May 2009 – NEW LIFE
that sets people free (John 8.32) infiltrate
Iran at every level.
Iraqi Christians Murdered
THREE Iraqi Christians were murdered on
Sunday 26 April and two others were injured in two separate incidents in Kirkuk.
According to a news release from the Barnabas Fund, these attacks occurred at a
time of intense hostility to Christians from
militant Islamics.
The Barnabas Fund said the following
quote has been posted on a number of
websites: ‘The General Secretariat of the
Adherent of Islam Brigade has decided to
address the final warning to ... the infidel
Christian Crusaders ... and order you to
leave immediately, in masses and permanently from the Muslim countries. There is
no place for you infidel Christians among
the Muslim believers in Iraq from now on.
Otherwise, our swords will be legalized over
your neck.’
The Barnabas Fund said the commentary is part of a concerted Islamist campaign to drive out the Christian community
from Iraq. Although the Christians, as ethnic
Assyrians, are the indigenous people of
Iraq, Muslim extremists are trying to
‘cleanse’ the country of their supposedly
defiling presence.
– ASSIST
GOOD NEWS FROM ABROAD ...
Tunisians Are Turning to Christ
TWO years ago, a unique milestone for
Christian media in North Africa was reached
when Arab Vision and a partner organization produced the first episodes of a Tunisian Christian TV program. This was the first
time Tunisian Christians, still residing in
their country, were bold enough to appear
on TV to talk about their faith in Christ.
Since then, many more episodes have been
produced and broadcast daily into Tunisian
homes, thanks to the amazing popularity
and vast reach of satellite TV. Today, many
Tunisian viewers are hearing the Gospel
through these TV programs for the first time
and turning to Christ.
Tunisia, the northernmost country on the
African continent, with a population of just
over 10 million, has had its fair share of settlers and conquests throughout history: from
the Phoenicians laying the foundations of
the city of Carthage in the 9th Century BC,
to the Roman conquests which gradually
Latinized and Christianized the country;
then the 7th Century invasion by Arab Muslims and successive Muslim dynasties, followed by Berber rebellions, brief conquests
by the Normans of Sicily and Spain, the rule
of the Ottoman Empire and even becoming
a stronghold for pirates! More recent history
puts Tunisia under French colonization from
1881, with almost a quarter of a million
French and Italian colonists residing in the
country, until independence in 1956.
Today, Tunisia is officially an Islamic
state, constitutionally requiring the president
of the country to be a Muslim. And even
though Tunisians in general are considered
to be more open-minded about other religions than neighbouring societies in the
Arab World, 98% are Muslims with limited
exposure and openness to the Gospel. But
thanks to the broadcast of Christian satellite
TV programs into the country, and specifically programs made by Tunisians themselves since 2007, the country is experiencing a spiritual conquest, with the Gospel
penetrating many Tunisian homes and
changing entire families.
Christian
media has
been reaching into Tunisia for many
years: radio
broadcasts
started as
early as 1960 on shortwave from Liberia.
More radio stations followed suit over the
last 50 years, coupled with the advent in the
mid-1990s of satellite TV channels broadcasting many hours of Christian programming into the region. In spite of the many
years of Christian media outreach into
Tunisia, there was little evidence of significant numbers of people coming to faith in
Christ. Things take time in the Arab World,
and the process of a Muslim man or woman
becoming a follower of Christ is no exception. There are many layers of misinformation, misconceptions and accusations
against Christianity that are ingrained into a
Muslim’s mind and heart from a young age.
It often takes many years of faithfully sharing the Gospel and patiently waiting for
God’s Spirit to gradually soften the hearts of
the recipients. Certainly, many of the media
ministries, as well as people involved in
evangelism efforts in the country itself –
though usually quite
restricted –
have played
a key role in
making
Tunisian men
and women more open to the Gospel.
However, the real breakthrough started
when some of the Tunisians believers decided to be bold enough to go in front of the
TV cameras and share the Gospel with their
own people. These men and women were
themselves Muslims before accepting the
Gospel, so they could share their own testimonies in the programs. The security concerns for them were – and still are – considerable, since they are still living in Tunisia;
their faces and identity became directly
associated with Christian outreach from the
moment the first program went on air in
early 2007.
The boldness of this handful of
Tunisians was the catalyst needed to
encourage other secret and isolated followers of Christ to make contact with the program. ‘I thought I was the only one,’ one
young man confessed. He had become a
secret Christian almost three years ago
when he watched Christian TV programs on
satellite, but he was afraid to talk to anybody about it. Another lady had been listening to Christian radio without the knowledge
of her husband and children. She didn’t
know of the existence of believers in her
country until she saw the Tunisian TV program. She arranged a meeting with the follow-up team and was so happy that she
cried for joy.
Kid’s Ministries Bear Fruit In India
BIBLE clubs are becoming more and more
popular in India. After a recent visit, Chad
Causey with OneHope says it's clear that in
India, ‘The church is really trying to wrestle
with how to bring godly stability to the Indian family in light of all of the disruptive
changes taking place in their world, and
how to proclaim a Gospel of grace with a
culture that is so performance oriented.’
One way to do this is through clubs that
provide a place for children to be taught the
love of Christ. Clubs also are a means of
bringing the family together. Cause adds:
‘We will do both fostering and organizing
clubs and providing Scripture programs for
existing clubs.’ Many nonbelievers send
their kids to Christian clubs, giving OneHope the opportunity to work with the
church to re-establish the family, and also to
spread the Gospel. Pray the Lord would use
these opportunities for His kingdom.
Partnerships Ensure Effectiveness For
JESUS Film Project
PARTNERSHIP has become the key to
effective ministry. Scott Pendleton of the
JESUS Film Project says their ministry
would be rather ineffective if it were not for
some key partnerships with other ministries.
‘Our desire is not only to have a person
exposed to who Jesus is through watching
the JESUS Film, but that that particular person would respond positively to Jesus and
then begin to grow in his or her faith. Since
the JESUS Film Project is not equipped to
plant churches, the best way to ensure this
happens is through partnerships with organizations that are.’
Pendleton says that is the best way to
spread the Gospel, as well as demonstrate
unity in Christ. ‘We need each other to lift
up Jesus in a way that will really help people to understand who He is and grow in
their faith and become a part of a multiplying church.’
NEW LIFE – 14 May 2009 – Page Eleven
DIGGING AND DELVING ...
A Tale Of Three Cities:
2. To Babylon And Return
IN the last issue of New Life we commenced a series entitled ‘A Tale of Three
Cities’ and we told of plans to write about
Nineveh, Babylon and Tyre. I have now
been going over some of my material from
earlier writings, and I believe I should present more material than I originally intended.
As the material has been interesting to me
after all these years I feel sure that many
New Life readers will also find it of value.
Nineveh itself fell in 612BC. Nebuchadnezzar (also spelt as Nebuchadrezzar) was
a general in the army and was responsible
for a great victory at Carchemish in 605BC
at which the final remnants of the Assyrian
army were defeated, together with the
Egyptians.
Nebuchadnezzar followed his father to
the throne on the latter's death in 605BC,
and was an outstanding ruler of Babylon
until his own death in 562BC.
Our title sounds as though we have
asked for a railway ticket – a return ticket.
Actually that is rather appropriate, for although the people of Judah were taken into
captivity by the Babylonians who finally
destroyed the Assyrian power in 605 BC,
yet the promise of God was that His people
would return. In a famous letter to the
exiles, recorded in Jeremiah 29, the prophet
declared that after 70 years the people
would return. For many, it was a two-way
ticket to Babylon.
The fall of Jerusalem meant the beginning of exile for a very large group of Judeans, following others who had already been
deported to Babylon after the earlier campaigns. Now the treasures of both temple
and palace were removed, as shown at II
Kings 25.13,16. This was a fulfilment of the
warning Isaiah had given when MerodachBaladan sent his emissaries to King
Hezekiah.
The King Is Still King!
Even though he was in captivity, Jehoiachin
was still recognised as king by the Jewish
people. An interesting reference to him
comes from a list of rations issued to a
number of captives. About 300 tablets dating to between 597 and 570BC were found
in the ruins of the famous ‘Hanging Gardens’ of Babylon, including the names of
Jehoiachin and his five sons who were
apparently given monthly rations. The sons
of Aga the king of Ashkelon, referred to in
Jeremiah 47.5,7, were also listed.
This recovered text tells how Judah's
King Jehoiachin was treated well as a royal
prisoner after his captivity. This was politically expedient, ensuring as it did that
Judah ‘behaved’ because her king was hostage. At the same time, it is hard to imagine
such reasonable treatment being meted out
by the earlier Assyrian conquerors!
Nebuchadnezzar’s Palace
A relevant Biblical comment is at II Kings
25.27ff, where we learn that the Babylonian
King Evil Merodach was treating Jehoiachin
well some 37 years after the young Judean
king had submitted to Nebuchadnezzar. As
Professor D. Winton Thomas says: ‘The
contribution which the brief references in
these texts to Jehoiachin (Ya'u kinu) and his
contemporaries make to our knowledge of
conditions during the exile is highly significant.’
Another archaeological point is that seal
impressions found at Kirjpath-Sepher and
Beth-Shemesh bore the words ‘Belonging to
Eliakim, servant of Yaukin’. These indicate
that in the absence of the king in captivity,
Eliakim was the steward of Jehoiachin's
property.
A Gardener And His Critics
A point is made by Professor Albright as to
the earlier critical view that gardeners could
not possibly have been taken captive to
Babylon, but in those same ration lists a
Jewish gardener was specifically listed.
Professor Albright's comments at this point
are very telling: ‘The period of Old Testament history beginning with Jehoiachin in
598BC and ending with Ezra and Nehemiah
less than two centuries later, was regarded
two generations ago as the cornerstone of
Old Testament history. Then in 1895 and
1896 W.H. Kosters and C.C. Torrey began
Page Twelve – 14 May 2009 – NEW LIFE
their onslaughts on post-exilic history, followed by S.A. Cook and others. Torrey
started by denying the authenticity of the
Ezra Memoirs and went on to reject that of
the Book of Ezekiel and finally that of the
Book of Jeremiah.
‘Continuing with remorseless logic
(given his totally unacceptable premises),
he denied that there had been a thoroughgoing devastation of Judah and Jerusalem
by the Chaldeans in the time of Nebuchadnezzar, that there had been any real Exile
or Restoration, and that there was an Ezra.
The figure of Nehemiah he regarded as
obscure and unimportant.
‘The views of these scholars have been
categorically disproved by the archaeological discoveries of the past 20 years. Excavation and surface exploration in Judah have
proved that the towns of Judah were not
only completely destroyed by the Chaldeans in their two invasions, but were not re
occupied for generations, often never again
in history.
‘This is solidly demonstrated by the evidence of pottery (which serves the archaeologist as fossils serve the geologist in dating periods), confirmed by a steadily increasing number of inscriptions from the
last years of the Kingdom of Judah. Vivid
light is shed on these events by the Lachish
Ostraca and other recently discovered documents.’
In that time of fierce criticism it was
doubted if the communal organisation implied by Ezekiel was according to fact.
Could the elders really have met with him?
(cf Ezekiel 8.1.) Was the lot of these people
in captivity as acceptable as Ezekiel implied? Then the famous tablets of a moneylending family came to light, and the inclusion of the names of Jewish customers indicated that they were in good standing with
money-lenders while in captivity.
Clearly they were able to maintain their
separate way of life. They would sit by the
waters of Babylon and weep (Psalm 137.1)
because they were in captivity, but generally
speaking their actual conditions were by no
means as difficult as those previously endured by their northern Israelite neighbours
at the time of the Assyrian deportation.
– Clifford Wilson
PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER AGAIN ...
A Year On From Cyclone Nargis: Relief And Recovery In A Harsh Environment
ner project has hired a barge to
pump ‘sweet’ or unsalinated
water from a river some distance
away. The water is pumped into
the holding deck of the vessel,
covered in tarpaulins and
shipped to communities where it
is pumped into tanks in the villages for distribution. This process is repeated every couple of
days.
Other longer-term initiatives
include providing trees to prevent water evaporating from
ponds and preventing animals
Daw Aye Kyi (name altered for reasons of security)
from polluting these water
with her neighbours outside her new home.
sources by building fences to
A YEAR after cyclone Nargis tore through
secure them. Farmers and landless houseMyanmar’s Ayeyarwady Delta taking the
holds have also been helped by the prolives of over 125,000 people and seriously
gram providing rice seed and replacing
affecting another two million, relief programs small livestock.
supported by Tearfund have brought hope
Money generously donated to Tearfund’s
to thousands of families in the region. HowMyanmar appeal initially funded food, medever Tearfund says that there is still much
ical assistance and materials for families to
more to do to equip remote communities for build temporary shelters. Children have also
future cyclones in this harsh environment.
been helped to come to terms with the loss
of friends and families through a story book
Working With Local Partner Agencies
Tearfund’s relief and recovery program is
especially designed and written for them.
helping communities in villages located on
Livelihoods are being restored with the prolow-lying islands where the multiple confluvision of nets and boats and, with the monences of rivers meet the storm-producing
soon season fast approaching, Tearfund’s
Bay of Bengal.
partners have focussed on enabling com‘Water is predictably scarce during the
munities to build permanent houses.
dry season and this was made more acute
Daw Aye Kyi (39) is a mother of five
by the storm surge which polluted water
young children living at the southernmost tip
sources,’ explains Rachel Stevens, Tearof the delta. When cyclone Nargis hit the
fund’s relief program manager for Myanmar. region her house was completely swept
‘Many factors have impacted on a famiaway. ‘We managed to escape from our
ly’s disposable income: the expense of hav- house and take refuge in the
ing to pay for transport due to loss of infrachapel, staying there for four
structure and assets, such as the boats that days sheltering with other
were destroyed; with rice mills lost, families
families,’ says Daw Aye Kyi.
have to send their rice to other communities ‘We moved into a tarpaulin
to be milled and have to pay for the service; and bamboo shelter where
and with severe water scarcity through the
we lived for six months. It
recent dry season, families that relied on
was about 9ft by 18ft, so
buying water have faced water price invery cramped for us and
creases. All this is compounded with the
very hot during the dry sealoss of a livelihood providing a regular
son. In January we were
income – the biggest ongoing impact on a
given a new house to live in.
family’s recovery.’
It’s cool and much bigger for
Village water reserves in community
all the family. With the monponds are contaminated from the tidal surge soon season approaching
of saline sea water which accompanied the
we feel a lot safer than
strong winds last year. One Tearfund partbefore.’
A Tearfund partner team worked with
community groups and local carpenters to
build homes that reflected the villagers’
needs. Palm frond panels allowing better
ventilation and concrete enforced floor supports, along with additional strengthening to
the walls and floors and ‘hurricane straps’,
will make the houses more resistant to
future storms.
Also, recognising the acute vulnerability
of people with disabilities some 980 houses
have been rebuilt or repaired with adaptations for better access. The project team
has worked closely with residents enabling
design to meet individual needs.
In another village Tearfund has funded
an initiative to distribute two rechargeable
LED lamps to each of the 110 families and
the installation of a community solar recharging unit. This natural resource, readily
available, is an affordable technology and
has the potential to dramatically improve the
lives of thousands of people living in isolated communities throughout the delta with
no electricity supply.
Tearfund partner teams continue to work
in the worst affected areas providing home
reconstruction and water purification. They
recognise the significant progress, but a
real sense of fear remains and many families are still suffering great trauma. Numerous churches have pastors struggling to
come to terms with their own loss on top of
ministering to broken communities.
Ongoing prayer support has enabled initial relief and this continuing long-term
recovery. For further information contact
Tearfund: www.tearfund.org
Row of new houses.
NEW LIFE – 14 May 2009 – Page Thirteen
FROM ALL QUARTERS ...
A Doctor’s Testimony To The
Providence Of God
THIS beautiful story was written by a doctor
who worked in Africa ...
One night I had worked hard to help a
mother in the labour ward; but in spite of all
we could do, she died, leaving us with a
tiny, premature baby and a crying two-yearold daughter.
We would have difficulty keeping the
baby alive, as we had no incubator (we had
no electricity to run an incubator). We also
had no special feeding facilities. Although
we lived on the equator, nights were often
chilly with treacherous drafts.
One student midwife went for the box
we had for such babies and the cotton wool
that the baby would be wrapped in. Another
went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water
bottle. She came back shortly in distress to
tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst
(rubber perishes easily in tropical climates ).
'And it is our last hot water bottle!' she
exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it
might be considered no good crying over
burst water bottles. They do not grow on
trees, and there are no chemist shops down
forest pathways.
'All right,' I said, 'put the baby as near
the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free
from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby
warm.'
The following noon, as I did most days, I
went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with
me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them
about the tiny baby. I explained our problem
about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the
baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also
told them of the two-year-old sister, crying
because her mother had died.
During prayer time, one ten-year-old girl,
Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. ‘Please, God,’
she prayed, 'Send us a hot water bottle
today. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the
baby will be dead, so please send it this
afternoon.'
While I gasped inwardly at the audacity
of the prayer, she added: 'And while You
are about it, would You please send a dolly
for the little girl so she'll know You really
love her?'
As often with children's prayers, I was
put on the spot. Could I honestly say
'Amen'? I just did not believe that God could
do this.
Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything; the Bible says so. But there are limits,
aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland.
I had been in Africa for almost four years
at that time, and I had never, ever, received
a parcel from home.
Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel,
who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived
on the equator! Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses'
training school, a message was sent that
there was a car at my front door. By the
time I reached home, the car had gone, but
there on the verandah was a large parcel. I
felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open
the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the
string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some 30 or
40 pairs of eyes were focused on the large
cardboard box.
From the top, I lifted out brightly-coloured, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I
gave them out. Then there were the knitted
bandages for the leprosy patients, and the
children looked a little bored. Then came a
box of mixed raisins and sultanas. That
would make a batch of buns for the weekend. Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt
the ... could it really be? I grasped it and
pulled it out. Yes, a brand new, rubber hot
water bottle. I cried.
I had not asked God to send it; I had not
truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the
front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out: ‘If God has sent the bottle,
He must have sent the dolly, too!'
Rummaging down to the bottom of the
box, she pulled out the small, beautifullydressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had
never doubted!
Looking up at me, she asked: 'Can I go
Page Fourteen – 14 May 2009 – NEW LIFE
over with you and give this dolly to that little
girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves
her?' Of course, I replied!
That parcel had been on the way for five
whole months, packed up by my former
Sunday school class, whose leader had
heard and obeyed God's prompting to send
a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And
one of the girls had put in a dolly for an
African child -– five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old
to bring it 'that afternoon.'
'Before they call, I will answer.' (Isaiah
65.24)
When you read this, please pray the
prayer below. That's all you have to do. No
strings attached. Just send it on to whomever you want – but please do send it on.
Prayer is one of the best free gifts we
receive. There is no cost, but a lot of rewards. Let's continue praying for one another.
This awesome prayer takes less than a
minute: 'Heavenly Father, I ask You to bless
my friends reading this. I ask You to minister to their spirit. Where there is pain, give
them Your peace and mercy. Where there is
self-doubting, release a renewed confidence
to work through them. Where there is tiredness or exhaustion, I ask You to give them
understanding, guidance, and strength.
Where there is fear, reveal Your love and
release to them Your courage. Bless their
finances, give them greater vision, and raise
up leaders and friends to support and
encourage them. Give each of them discernment to recognize the evil forces
around them and reveal to them the power
they have in You to defeat it. I ask You to do
these things in Jesus' name. Amen'
Who Can You
Invite
to Subscribe to
‘New Life’?
FOR THE YOUNG ONES:
NEW LIFE – 14 May 2009 – Page Fifteen
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Sorry, Our Mistake
Dear Cliff and Barbara,
We do enjoy New Life and thank you both
for the time and effort you put in, alongside
Bob, to keep this publication in circulation.
We especially appreciate news of the persecuted church. Much as it saddens us it
also keeps us informed and enables us to
pray intelligently. Thankyou.
I always appreciate your archaeological
bits too, Cliff, but in the latest edition (200904-16) on p.12 you have slipped a few cogs
in your hurry to get it into print.
I am speaking of the information you
have included in the para that begins at the
foot of the second column. I believe you
have made two errors of fact in this para.
First, you speak of the sons of Joseph, saying that ‘his (Joseph's) two sons, Joseph
and Benjamin’, whereas the two sons of
Joseph are actually Manasseh and
Ephraim, whom Jacob, in Genesis 48.16
chose to call his own sons and make each
of them one of the twelve tribes. Strangely
enough, in the Revelation passage,
Manasseh and Joseph are listed, rather
than Manasseh and Ephraim. One can only
assume that Joseph in this instance stands
for Ephraim.
A couple of lines further down you make
the claim that Dan ‘slept with one of his
father's mistresses’. It was actually Reuben
who did this, Genesis 49.3,4.
Must away now. Blessings on you both,
– June.
Dear June,
Our prayers are with you as you and
your husband Rob continue your good work
with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Barbara and
I (and Bob) thank you for the nice things
you said about New Life and we esteem it a
privilege to be so involved.
You are right on both points. One of
Joseph’s sons, Ephraim, seemed to replace
Joseph as the tribe leader. Also you are
quite right that Reuben took his father’s
mistress, and not Dan. I don’t know why I
made these glaring errors but perhaps the
reason is that at the moment I am in hospital and have had a lot of pain so I am not
thinking as clearly as usual.
Anyway we appreciated your interest
and your kind comments.
Yours in Christ,
Clifford (and Barbara) Wilson.
A Sad State Of Affairs
I am deeply saddened to learn of more unmarried Christian couples (some divorced)
living, holidaying/travelling together, even
given the use of double bedrooms when
staying with Christian families.
All my life in the various churches I have
attended, I have been taught that sex outside of marriage is a sin. 2 Corinthians
12.21, Galatians 5.19, Ephesians 5.3,
Colossians 3.5 and 1 Thessalonians 4.3 all
refer to fornication not to be part of a
Christian’s life (as unbelievers do).
It is uncleanliness against God’s will, to
be avoided and abstained from. Some such
people I know are active in and attend
church regularly.
What is the position of the minister or
elders? Out of love, concern, compassion
and heartbreak for our brothers and sisters
in Christ, isn’t correction needed here? Do
they care enough to reach out to those they
see falling into this sin?
Aspiring Singers Invited To Test Their Pipes On
Sydney’s Iconic Concert Stage
SPIRING choral singers eager to test their pipes in a grander location than the shower, car
or karaoke bar are invited to join Sydney Philharmonia Choirs for ChorusOz in the Concert
Hall at the Sydney Opera House on 6 and 7 June.
Now in its fifth year, ChorusOz has earned far-reaching fame with amateur choristers
travelling from across Australia and even overseas for the chance to perform on one of the
world’s iconic concert stages.
The feature piece for 2009 is Haydn’s The Creation – sung in English, chosen to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the great Austrian composer’s death.
Registrations close Friday 15 May.
For further details contact Nicole Tiedgen, Consultant, Avviso Public Relations,
2 MacDonald St, Paddington NSW 2021. Phone: 02 8356 9711 or 02 9368 7277.
Mobile: 0401 281 153. Fax: 61 2 9368 7377
Email: http://www.avviso.com.au
Page Sixteen – 14 May 2009 – NEW LIFE
Yes we
must keep
Luke 6.42 in
mind and we
never have
the right to
condemn, criticise or belittle a backslider.
But with reference to Galatians 5.22 and
6.1,2 it is our responsibility to give a helping
hand to bring them to repentance for the
sake of God’s Kingdom. We are to bear
each others’ burdens, including the burden
of temptation to fall into this sin and its
crushing results.
Also we are told in 1 Thessalonians 5.2
to abstain from all appearances of evil,
which creates a dilemma for some couples
who are truly just friends. Tolerance of sin
and the example it sets is not pleasing or
honouring to God. Loving and obeying
God’s Word is to be our desire.
Beryl Turner, Elizabeth Vale (SA)
How Would It Be?
Just what would happen if Australians lived
their day to day life according to the Ten
Commandments?
Imagine how life would be when we honoured our one God, did not swear, kept
Sunday holy, honoured our father and mother, did not murder, commit adultery, steal,
give false testimony, nor take our neighbour's property.
These original ten rules for daily living
still stand today as they have stood for
thousands of years. Yes, they are worth
standing and living for, even today.
How close do you honour, live and
respect the Ten Commandments?
– Mrs Judith Bond, Glen Alpine NSW
New Life Available
Electronically
FOR over 70 years, New Life
has come to subscribers and
readers through the post or
Christian book shops, but we can
now offer New Life by email. The
email edition contains an additional four pages of news and
views, subscribers receive it a
few days ahead of the print edition, and it costs half the price!
TO SUBSCRIBE to the email
edition, contact Alison on 03
9890 3377 or email her at alison@nlife.com.au
A BOOK WORTH READING PRODUCED AS...
PCA Finds New Friends In East Timor
In mid April the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, Rt Rev Robert Benn, the
Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of South Australia, Rt Rev Gary Ware, and the
Pastor of the Darwin Presbyterian Church, Rev Rob Duncanson, travelled to Timor Leste
(East Timor) for a fact-finding and friendship-building visit to the newly-formed Evangelical
Pres-byterian Church of Timor Leste.
This new church started in August 2008 and has grown rapidly since then. It now has
over 4,000 members throughout the Western half of Timor Leste.
Rob Duncanson reports: ‘We saw the many struggles of the local people and now have
laid the foundation needed to work within the Presbyterian Church of Australia to encourage
further practical and spiritual support for this church with whom we have found a deep-seated affinity.’
As it happens, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Timor Leste is the nearest Presbyterian Church to DPC, and this situation provides the Darwin congregation with an excellent opportunity to reach out to this sister church – an opportunity which they are keen to
use for the glory of God.
Rob Duncanson will gladly give more information to those interested in learning more or
even helping in this work.
His email address is: rob@darwinpresbyterian.org.au
ABOVE: This beautiful book, Timothy's Story was written and illustrated by Mrs Jo McDougall, a member of Darwin Presbyterian Church. It is written in both English and Tetun and
is the story of the Gospel as told to Timothy by his grandmother. The simple story reaches its
climax in the words of John 3.16. It is provided by the Presbyterian Church of Australia for free
distribution to the children of Timor Leste, and at a cost of just $6 posted to people within Australia. Contact Rob Duncanson, 53 Glencoe Cres, Tiwi NT 0810, ph/fax 08 8945 7878, email
rob@darwinpresbyterian.org.au for copies.
RIGHT: In 1999, this giant of the faith, Pastor Manuel knew the militia was coming so gathered all his people into the church building. When the militia came to the door he stood up and
said to them: ‘If you want to come into the church you will have to kill me first, and you will be
answerable to God for that, and the people will bury me here as a witness to what you have
done’. The militia backed down and this brave pastor saved his people from the slaughter that
occurred in so many other parts of TL. Pastor Manuel's congregation has no musical instruments, and the people are very poor. Most of them survive as subsistence farmers and live in
tiny homes made of palm branches and with dirt floors, yet as around 600 people gather for
worship each week, their love for the Lord Jesus overflows.
Rob Duncanson (back, left), Gary Ware (back, centre) and Robert Benn (back, right)
with a congregation of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Timor Leste.
NEW LIFE – 14 May 2009 – Page Seventeen
THINKING THINGS THROUGH ...
Ideas Have Consequences
FROM 1831 to 1836 Charles Darwin was
involved in the voyage of the Beagle, which
surveyed South America and the Pacific
Ocean. This was a momentous voyage for
Darwin himself. After the publication of his
theory – or hypothesis – his name became
well-known, and at his death in 1882 he
was buried in Westminster Abbey beside Sir
Isaac Newton.
The British author Howard E.L. Mellersh
claimed that because of Darwin, ‘we now
regard all things as flowing, as changing, as
evolving. Not only biology but all the other
sciences have from Darwin received a new
vision, a new, revivifying way of being
looked at. So too have philosophy and
ethics. Man now realizes a new and different responsibility to the rest of life, to which
he now knows he is so intimately related.’
In other words, evolution explains just
about everything, including the fact that we
grow up.
However Mellersh is not entirely consistent, and he notes the emphasis of Herbert
Spencer in England and Ernst Haeckel in
Germany that Darwinism meant that life
was simply a selfish struggle of one species
against another, and one individual against
another.
He is somewhat uneasy at this, and
comments: ‘It was Spencer who invented
the phrase “survival of the fittest,” and
Darwin may well have regretted that he
ever borrowed it.’
There is precious little evidence that
Darwin ever regretted borrowing Spencer’s
term. Rather, he tried to incorporate it into a
typically Victorian form of rather vacuous
optimism. His conclusion was: ‘Thus, from
the war of nature, from famine and death,
the most exalted object which we are capable of conceiving, namely, the production of
the higher animals, directly follows.’ A protracted war, a famine, or random acts of
genocide can apparently do wonders for the
human race.
After the completion of the voyage of the
Beagle, Darwin summed up some of what
he thought he had learned. The following
paragraph is the most startling:
‘Of individual objects, perhaps nothing is
more certain to create astonishment than
the first sight in his native haunt of a barbarian – of man in his lowest and most savage
state. One’s mind hurries back over past
centuries, and then asks, could our progenitors have been men like these – men,
whose very signs and expressions are less
intelligible to us than those of the domesticated animals? Men, who do not possess
the instinct of those animals, nor yet appear
to boast of human reason, or at least of arts
consequent on that reason? I do not believe
it is possible to describe or paint the difference between savage and civilized man. It
is the difference between a wild and tame
animal: and part of the interest in beholding
a savage, is the same which would lead
everyone to desire to see the lion in his
desert, the tiger tearing his prey in the jungle, or the rhinoceros wandering over the
wild plains of Africa.’
In his personal life, Darwin was no Hitler,
nor even a Peter Singer, but the implications ought to be clear enough.
Almost two hundred years after Darwin’s
birth, an atheist, Matthew Parris wrote in
The Times on 27 December 2008 that
Christianity
had greatly
helped
Africa. His
article is
revealing:
‘Now a confirmed atheist, I’ve become
convinced of the enormous contribution that
Christian evangelism makes in Africa:
sharply distinct from the work of secular
NGOs, government projects and international aid effort.
‘These alone will not do. Education and
training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people’s hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The
change is good.’
Rather reluctantly, Parris acknowledged
that the Christian faith liberates its adherents rather than oppresses them. It frees
the believer from the gangster politics of the
tribe, and the dead weight of fear of evil
spirits, of ancestors, of nature, and the
world at large.
He concludes: ‘Removing Christian
evangelism from the African equation may
leave the continent at the mercy of a malign
fusion of Nike, the witch doctor, the mobile
phone and the machete.’
Darwin’s view that life concerns the survival of the fittest has consequences: what
matters is that we claw our way to the top of
the heap. The atheist Matthew Parris saw
that Christianity had consequences: people
showed compassion to others, and were liberated from any bondage to biology.
Ideas have consequences, for good or
ill.
– Peter Barnes,
Revesby Presbyterian Church, Sydney
ACL Meetings For WA Suppporters
IT is a likely possibility that a Charter Of
Rights will be implemented, so Australian
Christian Lobby is encouraging all ACL supporters, WA churches and Christians across
WA to attend the roundtable discussions
and state their opposition to it. ACL points
out that as Christians, we support inalienable human rights such as the right to life,
food, and shelter. We advocate for the reduction of poverty and for the welfare of the
individual.
However, a charter of rights would not
further these causes, but put at risk important Christian freedoms by placing our
‘rights’ on a level playing field with other
‘rights’. For example, the freedom of
Christian schools and non-government
organisations to employ people who support
their ethos could be further eroded if judges
declare this is incompatible with human
rights.
A charter of rights is proven to not protect the most basic human rights. The
Victorian Charter of Rights has not protected the life of the unborn – and has not protected the freedom of conscience of a doctor or nurse who can be legally forced to
refer patients for abortion.
Page Eighteen – 14 May 2009 – NEW LIFE
Upcoming community roundtables in WA
include:
PERTH, 12 May, 12noon-2pm, Duxton
Hotel, 1 St Georges Tce; also 6pm-8pm.
KALGOORLIE, 13 May, 12noon-2pm,
Kalgoorlie-Boulder Racing Club, Meldrum
Ave.
BUSSELTON, 13 May, 12noon-2pm, Abbey
Beach Resort, 595 Bussell Highway.
GERALDTON, 14 May, 12noon-2pm,
Queens Park Theatre, Cnr Cathedral Ave,
Maitland St.
PARABURDOO 14 May, 12pm-2pm,
Ashburton Shire Hall.
BREAKPOINT ... CHUCK COLSON’S COMMENTS
Fearing The Flu – Life As A Disaster Movie
EDGAR Hernandez probably doesn’t understand the fuss he created. When the fiveyear-old from the Mexican state of Campeche coughed, the world caught a nervous
breakdown.
Hernandez has been identified as the
first person to have been infected with the
strain of swine flu known as H1N1. As of 30
April there were approximately 2,500 suspected cases of swine flu in Mexico with
159 suspected deaths.
In the US, the number of confirmed
cases has risen to 64 with one death. The
increase is at least partly due to what science writer Sandy Szwarc calls ‘seek and
ye shall find.’ Since we are now actively
looking for swine flu, we are finding more of
it. As she put it: ‘Cases identified with increased surveillance is not the same thing
as actual increased incidents.’
To put these numbers into context, some
20,000 Americans die from flu-related illnesses every year. Thus, the President is
right when he says that this outbreak warrants concern but not panic.
This hasn’t kept the media and political
opportunists from behaving shamefully. It’s
almost impossible to read a story about the
flu without coming across the word ‘pandemic’ – an attempt to link this outbreak to
the 1918 influenza pandemic that killed millions. They speculate about whether there
will be enough flu vaccine to protect the
population this winter.
What you rarely hear is that most people
have already lived through a flu pandemic –
that is, the 1968 Hong Kong flu. That pandemic killed scarcely more of us than die
from flu in an average year. Another thing
you aren’t reminded of in the media is that
the last time we worried about swine flu, in
1976, the vaccine wound up doing more
damage than the disease.
The reporting and the rhetoric is part of
what British sociologist Frank Furedi calls
the ‘dramatization of disease.’ The media
and public officials ‘sound as if they are
rehearsing their roles for a disaster movie –
a movie through which we express our anxieties about everyday life.’
Furedi is onto something: The coverage
of this outbreak has more to do with the culture than with science. Stories like this one
frighten us because they undermine our
confidence
in our supposed ability
to control
our world.
In Christianity, pride is the deadliest sin,
and ours is a prideful age. We thought that
we had figured out a way to guarantee perpetual economic growth. And we even dare
to talk about overcoming disease and even
death.
Then reality, like Nemesis in Greek
mythology, punishes us for our hubris. The
economy craters and a virus reminds us of
our vulnerability. Instead of being chastened, we become fearful. In effect, we are
saying that a world we can’t control is a
world too dangerous to live in.
Of course, it’s the only world humans
have ever known. It’s why every attempt to
re-create paradise not only fails, but causes
more harm than good.
The alternative to demolished pride isn’t
fear, it’s repentance. It’s humbly acknowledging our dependence on God. Without
this, life can’t help but feel like a disaster
movie.
Copyright (c) 2009 Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with permission. ‘Breakpoint With Chuck Colson’ is a
radio ministry of Prison Fellowship Ministries. Prison Fellowship Australia National Office, PO Box 579, Eltham Vic
3095; Phone: 03 9431 3877; Fax: 03 9431 3830; email: pfaus@vicnet.net.au
Australian First For Prison Fellowship WA
FOR the first time ever, Prison Fellowship
has been given the nod to meet with detainees at an Australian immigration detention centre.
Prison Fellowship Western Australia
has begun holding meetings at the Perth
Immigration Detention Centre once a week
to support and encourage detainees and
help with practical issues such as education
and information.
David Shaw, Promotion Officer for
Prison Fellowship WA said they were very
excited by the opportunity.
‘The two meetings already conducted
have been very positive and it would be
great to see this relationship extended to
other centres around Australia,’ Mr Shaw
said. ‘It’s been very rewarding to see people
of all faiths attend the meetings and gain
positives from them.’
Prison Fellowship WA works with prisoners, ex-prisoners, their families and victims
of crime with an aim to care, nurture and
teach.
‘Although those in detention centres
aren’t necessarily law breakers, the fact remains they are still incarcerated and face
many of the same issues as prisoners,’ Mr
Shaw said. ‘Therefore it felt like a natural
progression for us to take our work to the
centres and we are grateful the Commonwealth recognised the value of our work
and granted us access.
‘The support of the management and
staff at the centre has been very helpful and
co-operative and we look forward to a long
and fruitful association with everybody
involved.’
The first Prison Fellowship national
organisation was founded in 1976 by
Charles W Colson, following his release
from prison after serving a sentence for a
‘Watergate’-related crime.
Prior to his imprisonment, Mr Colson
had served as chief counsel for President
Richard Nixon.
During his own imprisonment, Mr Colson
had seen and experienced the difference
that faith in Jesus Christ makes in the lives
of people and became convinced that the
real solution to crime is ultimately not to be
found through therapeutic interventions,
institutional regimes, or legislative reform,
but through spiritual renewal. He has related his conversion in the book Born Again.
Colson shows a disdain for what he calls
the ‘lock em or leave em warehousing
approach’ to criminal justice.
Mr Colson has become one of the greatest advocates for prison reform.
NEW LIFE – 14 May 2009 – Page Nineteen
WORSHIP WITH US
COMING TO
WESTERN AUSTRALIA?
Come to Scots Church
Fremantle,
90 South Terrace
(next to Fremantle Markets)
Reformed and Evangelical
10am and 5pm Sundays
12:30 pm Wednesday
Lunch Time Worship
Also at Southern River,
Bletchley Park Primary
School, Balfour Road
9:00 am Sunday
Rev Stuart Bonnington
08 9398 1304
melbonn@bigpond.com
Visiting Melbourne?
Join us at
St Kilda Presbyterian Church
cnr Alma Rd/Barkly St
Every Sunday 11am and 7pm
Rev Bob Thomas
Phone 0417 592 646
Youʼre welcome at ʻThe Church on
the Hillʼ – a Friendly, Caring, Biblebelieving Christian Fellowship
WANTED TO BUY
BUYING: Used Postage Stamps
on paper from Australia & the
World from Church/Charity sources
Australia-wide.
Please contact: Anthony Muston
with your offerings
or for more details
Phone: 03 5967 7106
E-mail: muston@bigpond.net.au
Postal: PO Box 507 Gembrook
3783 Victoria
POSITION VACANT
Christian Family General Practice Seeks
General Practitioner
THE POSITION
Koinonia is seeking a full time Vocationally Registered General
Practitioner to join an exciting and supportive team, working
together to provide quality care to our patients. The position can
be either as an employee or as an assistant with a view to joining the leadership team. Identification with the philosophy of
the Koinonia Family Medical Centre is essential.
THE PRACTICE
Koinonia Family Medical Centre is a Christian General Practice
in the centre of Toowoomba, aiming to provide excellence in our
service and our medical care.
It is recognised for the development of innovative ideas,
its teaching and supportive network.
The Practice is a fully computerised, AGPAL accredited practice.
It currently has 6 doctors supported by 4 nurses, including a
mental health nurse, 6 reception staff and a pastoral care worker.
It has a close association with psychologists,
occupational therapists and an osteopath,
who share the same building.
Please send expressions of interest or applications to:
Koinonia Family Medical Centre
Attn: The Principals
114 Russell Street
Toowoomba 4350
Phone: 07 4659 7199
Email: lrobinson@koinonia.com.au
All enquiries will be held in the strictest confidence.
AT YOUR SERVICE:
A WORD FROM THE WORD
Matthew 4.10
ʻAnd He said to them:
“Follow Me and I will make
you fishers of men”.ʼ
Inserted by Ivan Bell
NEW LIFE – 14 May 2009 – Page Twenty
UNIT TO LET:
TO LET – Winter period, min two
month. Fully furnished
two bedroom unit.
Seven min walk to beach.
Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast,
Qld. Lock up garage. Cost $175
per week. Close to transport and
supermarket.
T Bray, 10 Muskwood St,
Algester Qld 4115.
Phone: (07) 3273 8133 evenings.
HOLIDAY GUIDE (QLD)
NOOSA HOLIDAY UNIT
Stylish 2brm unit by river and cafes,
RC aircon, mod-grass tennis court,
heated pool/spa, BBQ, LCD TV, DVD,
mod facs, linen and towels.
Book with owners and save!
Phone 07 3289 7178
for brochure and bookings.
HOLIDAY GUIDE (UK)
The Highbury Centre, London, UK.
Christian guesthouse on quiet private
road.
Discount for f/t Christian workers.
Email:
enquiries@thehighburycentre.org
Website: www.thehighburycentre.org
LONDON B & B.
Private home: self-catering, ensuite, QS bed,
TV, fridge, m/wave, c/htg. Easy city access.
Reasonable rates.
Rachel Allen, 10 Beecroft Rd, Brockley,
London SE4 2BS.
Ph/fax: 0011.44.20.8694 6538.
Email: rachel@brockleybandb.fsnet.co.uk
AT YOUR SERVICE
EASTWIDE PLUMBING SERVICES
Domestic, Commercial, Industrial; Hot/Cold
Water; Maintenance; Water Tanks; Gas Fittings;
Drainage; Repair/Install Renovate/New Homes.
24 Hour Service 0403 740 345
Lic no. 48991
TONER MEN
We refill Laser Toner Cartridges
and supply Refill Kits.
More cost effective!
Environmentally friendly!
Uncompromising quality!
Call 1300 733 920
sales@tonermen.com.au
www.tonermen.com.au
POSITION VACANT
Presbyterian Theological College,
Melbourne
Registrar Position
The Presbyterian Theological College invites applications for appointment to this position.
This is a permanent part-time position of 26 hours per week,
commencing on 1 June 2009 and working under the direction of the
Principal of the College,
which is situated in the Melbourne suburb of Box Hill North.
Terms and conditions for this administrative position are negotiable
and would be commensurate with qualifications and experience.
A high level of computer literacy, book-keeping skills, and the ability to
work as a member of a team are essential.
Knowledge of the Australian College of Theology
regulations and procedures an advantage.
Applications should be sent to the address below to arrive before 15
May 2009. Please contact the Principal for a job description.
Presbyterian Theological College
684 Elgar Road
Box Hill North Vic 3129
Ph 03 9898 9384
Email: principal@presbyteriancollege.org
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LAYMENʼS EVANGELICAL FELLOWSHIP INTERNATIONAL.
Visit our website: www.lefi.org
or telephone Freecall 1800 110 202
NEW LIFE – 14 May 2009 – Page Twenty One
‘WITH CHRIST’
Laurie Prentice passed into the Lord’s
presence on 3 March 2009 aged 82. Laurie
was born in South Melbourne and converted in his teens. He married Gladys Tate in
1947 and built a home and family in the
eastern suburbs of Melbourne.
Over the years Laurie gave his time and
energy into a number of churches and mission organisations. He and Glad served
God in Borneo with the Borneo Evangelical
Mission (later Overseas Missionary Fellowship) for one year and he supported this
work faithfully, serving on its home council.
Laurie and Glad gave of themselves in
whatever congregation they worshipped
and worked in. These included Mitcham
Church of Christ, Mitcham Baptist where
Laurie was an elder, and then for nearly two
decades he served faithfully as a lay pastor
at Bermagui Baptist. They spent some
years at Parkes and then more recently at
Belconnen Baptist Church.
Despite ongoing health struggles Laurie
imparted a faithful ministry to others over
the years. He and Glad prayed fervently for
missionaries on the field, supported them in
many ways, displaying a great gift of hospitality and wisdom to many people.
After a long struggle with illness he
passed into His Saviour’s presence, and
while missing him greatly, the family rejoices that his earthly pain is over.
Laurie was a model of faithfulness and
Godly values. Despite so many obstacles,
Laurie never lost his keen sense of humour.
He was greatly loved by his children Alan
and Helen (Wodonga), Ian and Ruth (Melbourne) and Lyn and Mark (Canberra) and
their families. Glad continues to reside in
Flynn, ACT. Some of his last words were:
‘see you in the morning’. What a day of
rejoicing that will be.
NEW LIFE BOOKS &
ARCHAEOLOGY
Rear of Church Hall
44 Dublin Road
Ringwood East
Mon-Sat, 10am-2pm
John 03 9893 4521
Ron 03 9736 3603
Customers,
and book donations,
welcome.
‘CHANCE OF A LIFETIME ...’
Combine Adventure With Study
Don DeYoung, PhD, one of the world's
leading creation scientists, will head Rocks
By Day, Stars By Night, a 190-mile rafting
trip down the Colorado River through the
Grand Canyon from 5 to 11 June.
The purpose of the trip is to further explain creation by examining geology and
astronomy in the context of creation timelines. The rafters will encounter all the
major rapids and geological points of interest along the river during the day, and in the
evenings Dr DeYoung will teach astronomy,
using a telescope for participants to see details of the created heavens.
Accompanying Dr DeYoung on the trip
will be Carl Kerby, Vice President of the
sponsoring organization, Answers in
Genesis.
Dr DeYoung is Professor of Physics at
Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana,
and holds his PhD in physics from Iowa
State University. He has taught at Grace
College for 37 years.
His work has taken him around the
world, from Nova Scotia and Europe to Australia, New Zealand, and Tonga, where he
has taught, conducted research and pursued busy speaking schedules.
He is President of the Creation Research Society, a professional society of
1,700 scientists who conduct research,
many from the organization's Prescott,
Arizona, laboratory, and publish books and
a quarterly professional journal detailing the
results of their research.
The group also provides research grants
and supplies qualified scientists for speaking engagements.
Dr DeYoung's 16th book, Discovery of
Design, is scheduled for publication later
this year.
For more information, contact Dr Don
DeYoung, +1-800-544-7223 ext. 6441 or
email: dbdeyoung@grace.edu
Best Response To Possible Pandemic:
Prayer, Care And Share The Hope Of Christ
WHILE information continues to change
how people perceive the swine flu outbreak,
the Christian Emergency Network reports
that any emergency prompts the question:
‘Where is God in this?’ in most of the people affected.
‘Christians need to respond to the spiritual, emotional, mental as well as the usual
physical needs of those affected,’ said CEN
founder Mary Marr in a statement. ‘Be
aware, be ready and be there in any emergency by praying earnestly, caring compassionately, and sharing the hope of Christ
effectively and appropriately.’
Keiji Fukuda, a top UN official with the
World Health Organization, advised countries to focus on mitigating the effects of the
swine flu virus recently detected in Mexico,
as it can no longer be contained.
In Britain, Dr Andrew Ferguson is among
the physicians meeting with travellers returning from Mexico. A member of CEN,
Ferguson said medical experts worldwide
have been preparing for some years for
another pandemic, a global epidemic of flu.
British Health Secretary Alan Johnson
said Britain’s health system has a stockpile
of more than £500 million ($A850 million)
worth of the Tamiflu antiviral drug that has
proved effective on patients in Mexico, and
scientists are working on developing a vaccine. Marr added that Christians should be
aware of accurate information regarding this
outbreak and watch news reports carefully
on the scope and rapidness of its spread. If
Christians are ready, they won’t be a burden on emergency management efforts.
– HCJB, sourced from: BBC, Premier
Christian News, Christian Emergency
Network
MAKE POVERTY HISTORY?
We’re WORKING on it!
Visit: www.presaid.org.au
Page Twenty Two – 14 May 2009 – NEW LIFE
‘WARS AND RUMOURS OF WARS ...’
Pakistan: Islamabad Church On Threshold Of War
EVER since February 2005 the government
of Pakistan has been pursuing political gain
by brokering 'land-for-peace' deals with the
al-Qaeda-Taliban alliance. Each such deal
has secured incremental al-Qaeda-Taliban
advance, not peace. With each territorial
gain, the terrorists – whose goal of total
control is yet to be realised – have expanded their sanctuary.
All of Pakistan's North West Frontier
Province is now either ceded to the Taliban
or under various degrees of Taliban control
or influence. Christians there are suffering
severe repression and persecution.
In early April the al-Qaeda-Taliban
Spring Offensive brought the jihadists to
within 100km of Islamabad. This serious
threat to Pakistan, the world, and the
Pakistani Church, is very real.
If there were a turning point in the 'War
on Terror', the unconditional surrender of
Waziristan was surely it, for the power of
the al-Qaeda-Taliban alliance has grown in
both Afghanistan and Pakistan ever since.
The jihadists were never going to be
pacified so long as their goal – the total
Islamisation and Talibanisation of fortress
Afghanistan and nuclear-armed Pakistan –
remained unchanged and unrealised. Within months several more tribal areas had fallen under Taliban control. ('Land-for-peace'
deals with agenda-driven fundamentalist
Islamists and jihadists secured incremental
Islamist advance, not peace.)
In the 18 months since, the jihadists
have held or captured all the tribal areas. In
February 2009 President Asif Ali Zardari
brokered a 'sharia-for-peace' deal with the
Taliban in Malakand Division which comprises one third of NWFP and includes the glorious, albeit Taliban-held, Swat Valley. All of
NWFP is now either ceded to the Taliban or
under some degree of Taliban control or
influence.
Emboldened by its Malakand victory and
its advances in strategic Peshawar, the Taliban launched its Spring Offensive with a
further escalation. In early April a more united Taliban surged with little resistance south
east from Swat towards Islamabad, infiltrating Buner District (covered by the February
'peace' accord ) in a 'blitzkreig'. From there,
they immediately entered Haripur District
which borders the outskirts of Islamabad
and Rawalpindi. According to most Western
and Indian analysis and intelligence, Pakistan's fall is inevitable and imminent, although according to Pakistan, this assessment is 'ridiculous'.
The Church in Pakistan's NWFP is
already suffering severe repression and persecution under Taliban tyranny. Christians
there are living in fear and paying jizya, the
'tax' or protection money demanded of subjugated Jews and Christians in the Quran
(Sura 9.29). Their lives are always in the
balance.
The Church in Islamabad stands on the
brink of the same fate. If the al-Qaeda-Taliban alliance manages to capture Islamabad
in the months ahead, the world will instantly
become a different place, and the Church in
Islamabad and across Pakistan will see suffering and persecution unlike anything it has
ever known before.
– Written for the Australian Evangelical
Alliance Religious Liberty Commission by
Elizabeth Kendal
PLEASE PRAY THAT:
the Spirit of God will move powerfully
in the churches of Pakistan, so there may
not be a crisis of faith amidst the crisis of
security; may grace and light radiate into
Pakistan's darkness from every church
and every believer for the glory of God.
God our Almighty Father will powerfully and supernaturally protect, deliver, sustain and preserve His church in Pakistan
so life might come to Pakistan by His
power and grace through the testimony of
the Church. (2 Corinthians 4.7-12)
Christ will set captives free, open the
eyes of the blind (Luke 4.18), and reveal
Himself to those who are seeking truth,
righteousness and a new way (Isaiah
55.6,7) as well as to those who are not
(Isaiah 65.1); may blessing arise out of
this crisis.
'... strive together with me in your
prayers to God on my behalf,
that I may be delivered ...'
(Romans 15.30 ESV)
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NEW LIFE – 14 May 2009 – Page Twenty Three
‘NEW LIFE’ – AUSTRALIA’S CHRISTIAN NEWSPAPER
‘JESUS Is The ROCK’ – Easter At Clayton, 2009
The ROCK Team - Presenting the Gospel of JESUS
THE death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ, Holy Spirit-inspired repentance from
sin and forgiveness and cleansing through
His Blood was the vibrant Easter message
of ROCK (‘Reaching Out to Clayton Kids’)
this Easter. The Bible message of ROCK
was that JESUS (1 Corinthians 10.4) is the
only Saviour and Lord, and JESUS alone is
to be worshipped (Acts 4.12).
The ROCK ministries team was privileged to present the glorious Gospel of
Jesus Christ to the children and people of
the Clayton (Vic) area in the second week
of the school holidays each morning from
Easter Tuesday 14 April to Friday 17 April
2009 in the open air at spacious Namatjira
Park, Clayton.
The Easter ROCK mission was supported in prayer by the Clayton MinistersPastors Prayer Group and associated
Christian Churches. ROCK expresses sincere thanks to all those who prayed for the
Holy Spirit to promote the saving grace of
JESUS CHRIST during the mission. It was
abundantly evident that the Holy Spirit was
working in lives showing that JESUS has
provided salvation to all those who repent
and believe in the power His Cleansing
Blood for forgiveness of sin.
James Jensen as Rock President,
Angela Crawley as Secretary, and Nick
Crawley as Treasurer provided the co-ordinating spiritual leadership of the mission.
Nick Boys and Mary Jensen were the operational leaders on the grounds. They
directed, organized and arranged all the
daily programs and presentations.
The ROCK team of 38 members consisted mostly of secondary college and university students drawn from seven churches. The zealous team worked together in
the unity of the Holy Spirit, enthusiastically
exercising their spiritual gifts from God to
the children, in the loving joy of Jesus.
Daily attendances averaged about 100
children with adult numbers varying from
five to 40 over the four days. At the early
Thursday morning barbecue at the park,
about 100 children and 50 adults enjoyed a
hearty breakfast.
A new feature introduced for the last
day was the Café facilities on the grounds
with tables and chairs provided. A mobile
van provided coffee and other drinks for
people seated at tables in delightful sunny
weather. Team members served adults and
the very young children with drinks, cakes
and other delicacies as they viewed the
mission activities. About 50 people enjoyed
that service.
Each day, bright Gospel songs echoed
across the grounds and imaginative skits
were played by team members. The daily
Bible stories of JESUS were acted out by
team members with appropriate period
dress, settings, and background arrangements. The stories featured the Pharisee
and the Publican (Matthew 6), the Widow’s
Mite (Luke 21), Zaccheus (Luke 19) and
Blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10).
The daily Keenite classes, taught by
team members, were arranged at four levels: Preps, Grades 1-2, 3-4 and 5-6. The
general behaviour of the children in the
Page Twenty Four – 14 May 2009 – NEW LIFE
classes was orderly, attentive, and enthusiastic as they worked on their various crafts.
Team member Catherine Wentworth organized and developed the various craft activities which were educational, creative and
imaginative. The children’s craft productions were well done and the children took
them home to remind them of the joys of
ROCK.
The drama, directed by Mary Jensen,
was presented in thrilling daily episodes
with plenty of action by gifted team members. At the end of each episode, the excited children were encouraged to return
next day bringing their friends to see what
would happen!
Team member Peter Lawson was convincing as a star net-ball hero. Peter was
dramatically put out of action by evil spiritual forces, but subsequently recovered to
inspire his net-ball players to miraculous
victory on the field in the drama finale.
At the close of the final episode of the
drama on Friday, James Jensen brought a
challenging Gospel message as a climax to
Easter ROCK. The death and resurrection
of JESUS to save children and adults from
sin was proclaimed loud and clear in the
power of the Holy Spirit.
The children were invited to talk to their
Keenite leaders at the close of ROCK, if
they had any questions, or anything they
would like to talk about.
Finally, everbody was encouraged to
come back to the next summer ROCK in
early January 2010!
– Dr Des Gaffney
NEW LIFE EXTRA – LATE BREAKING NEWS
Nepal Crisis Threatens New Freedoms
GOSPEL FOR ASIA reports that the people of Nepal
have endured decades of political upheaval. They are
now asking Christians to join them in praying that the
political situation stabilizes in their country.
‘Nepal needs an absolute miracle,’ said Gospel for
Asia President K.P. Yohannan after reviewing reports
from Christian leaders in the strife-torn Himalayan country. ‘Right now we have a high emergency, but what is
worse is that things could go back to the guerilla warfare
that we had for the past ten years.’
Dr Yohannan expressed concern on behalf of the
300 churches and two Bible colleges that Gospel for
Asia helps support in Nepal. Last week, pro- and antiMaoist demonstrators were burning tyres and blocking
streets in Nepal's capital city of Kathmandu.
‘We are terribly concerned about the future of Nepal,'
Dr Yohannan said, 'and we ask that Christians around
the world pray for this volatile situation.'
The crisis began over a simmering dispute between
the ruling Maoist party, which won the most recent elections, and the opposition over the integration of former
Maoist rebel fighters into Nepal's regular army.
The peace accord that ended the decade-long civil
war calls for the rebel soldiers to be taken into the army.
But the question that has divided the government is how
fast the integration should take place and whether individual former rebels should be screened before their
acceptance into the military.
The dispute broke into the open when the Maoist
Prime Minister, Prachanda, tried to fire the army's top
general. Nepal's President, Ram Baran Yadev, a member of the main opposition party, told the general not to
quit.
In what has been seen as a positive sign in support
of Nepal's fledgling democracy, Prachanda chose to
resign rather than escalate the situation.
Hopefully, his move will avoid action by the 19,000
former rebel fighters now confined to UN-supervised
barracks. But in truth, no one knows what tomorrow may
bring.
‘We are terribly concerned about the future of Nepal,’
Dr Yohannan said, ‘and we ask that Christians around
the world pray for this volatile situation.’
He also asks for prayer that Nepal's political situation
would stabilize. Prayer was also requested for the safety
of GFA-supported workers and their families in Nepal.
Believers Keep Vigil Over
Pakistan As Fighting Rages
‘Pray for their protection and pray for the boldness of
the evangelists and church planters during this time.’
PAKISTAN is bracing for a titanic wave displacement of
people in the Swat Valley. Officials estimate that as
many as 800,000 people are on the run as the government pounds the Taliban back into line.
Todd Nettleton, with Voice of the Martyrs, notes the
stakes are high for believers. ‘The Taliban do not want a
Christian presence in the area they control. They do not
really want a Christian presence in Pakistan, at all.
‘The truce didn't work. The Taliban tested government resolve and pushed forward toward the capital.
The fighting also disrupted ministry.
‘When the Taliban came through and burned girls'
schools, Christians were hit, too. ‘I have heard of direct
attacks against Christians. I think it is only natural that
as the Taliban advances, churches will be targeted.
Christian homes will be targeted. And people will be
asked to pay the protection tax to stay in the area.
NEW LIFE – 14 May 2009 – Page Twenty Five
Christians Serve War Refugees
TENS of thousands of refugees from Sri Lanka's civil
war need help, says Joe Handley of Asian Access.
‘There's no way of getting relief into the areas that
are hit. So the challenge is trying to come alongside
these people who are in trauma. The churches we work
with are trying to come alongside these folks who are
escaping and trying to help them out.
‘The churches are counseling refugees who have
lost everything and helping them rebuild their lives. The
Gospel is spreading as a result.
‘Anytime you have a crisis of this proportion, people
do show an interest in spiritual things. And thus the
counseling and the crisis relief efforts are seeing that
they appreciate the spiritual help they're being offered.’
Pray that God will use Christians powerfully to minister to suffering people in Sri Lanka.
NEW LIFE EXTRA – BREAKPOINT II:
Gleaning Hope – The Land And The Poor
– Prison Fellowship Ministry President Mark Earley
DURING these difficult economic times, some people
make a real difference. One advocate estimates that ‘a
are looking to traditional wisdom about how to best live
hundred times more food could be gleaned if there was
their lives. For instance, the mess created by living
the people power to do it.’
beyond one’s means has given them a new appreciation
But biblical ideas such as gleaning have applications
for a biblical injunction against covetousness.
that go beyond meeting people’s immediate needs. As
Another biblical injunction that is enjoying newfound
important as that is, it also can teach us about how we
appreciation during the economic downturn is gleaning.
are supposed to live.
Like the prohibition against covetousness, biblical ideas
At the heart of the biblical idea of gleaning is the conabout gleaning have applications that go far beyond the viction that the land ultimately belongs to God. While the
economic.
Bible permits the private ownership of property, that
The Associated Press ran a story about what it called ownership isn’t absolute. It is subject to God’s demands
the ‘growing army of needy people and volunteers ...
for justice.
descending on farms, fields and backyards across the
Thus, Leviticus required farmers to leave crops for
nation.’ This ‘army’ is gleaning ‘leftover produce that
the poor and strangers to harvest. Similarly, it promight otherwise go to waste.’
claimed that every 50 years—the Year of the Jubilee—
The people doing the gleaning include church
land be returned to its original owner of his heirs. In both
groups, scout troops, and the needy themselves. They
instances, the message is the same: The land is God’s
glean corn in Florida, potatoes in Colorado, apples in
and we are merely tenants. Acknowledging this was an
North Carolina, and oranges in California.
essential part of what it meant to be holy.
Given the biblical origin of the idea, it shouldn’t come
While ancient Israel’s observance of these provisions
as a surprise that the organizers are Christian groups
was, at best, uneven, the biblical principle still stands—
like the Salvation Army and the Society of St Andrew.
unless you are prepared to argue that the Earth, and
Their faith allows them to make the connection between everything in it, is no longer the Lord’s?
the needs of the poor and a biblically inspired way to
I didn’t think so. While legally implementing these
help meet that need.
ideas is next to impossible, we can live as if we truly
At a time when ‘families struggle against the recesbelieve that ‘all things come of Thee, O Lord, and from
sion and try to maintain healthy diets,’ this kind of bibliThine own hand have we given back to Thee.’ In a world
cally inspired thinking and action is vital. The high price
where grasping after what isn’t ours and can’t satisfy us
of supermarket produce has families turning to food
anyway has made shambles of so many lives, this
banks for more nutritious alternatives. Gleaning could
example could be revolutionary.
Copyright (c) 2009 Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with permission. ‘Breakpoint With Chuck Colson’ is a
radio ministry of Prison Fellowship Ministries. Prison Fellowship Australia National Office, PO Box 579, Eltham Vic
3095; Phone: 03 9431 3877; Fax: 03 9431 3830; email: pfaus@vicnet.net.au
Online Test Probes How Calvinist You Are
HOE Calvinist are you? Do you believe in bringing children up with a strict education, in avoiding sumptuous
food and unnecessary expense, and in holding to the values of hard work? If so, you have a good chance of
being a Calvinist, according to an online quiz offered by a Dutch newspaper.
The 25-question test on the web site of Trouw was first launched in Dutch in January. It is now available
in English and German and is one of the numerous projects and activities in the Netherlands and beyond to
mark the 500th anniversary in 2009 of the birth of French-born Protestant leader Jean Calvin.
(Don’t get excited guys; it’s just meant to be a little bit of fun. – Ed)
NEW LIFE – 14 May 2009 – Page Twenty Six
NEW LIFE EXTRA:
Ghana's Vice President Intercedes For Jailed Evangelist In Libya
appealing for clemency through the
GHANA'S Vice President, John
Libyan Embassy in Accra to the Libyan
Mahama, has secured the release of
Leader before he travelled to that
Daniel Baidoo, a Ghanaian evangelist
country.
based in Libya, who was serving a 25Baidoo was serving his term at
year jail term for circulating Christian
Jedidah Maximum Security Prison after
tracts in Arabic in that country.
he was arrested in 2001. He was
The release followed Mr. Mahama's
three-day visit to Libya after he had
arrested at the Garyan Post Office in
Libya when he collected a parcel said
presented the clemency request for the
to contain Bible documents in Arabic,
release of Baidoo to the Libyan Leader,
which he had ordered from a Christian
Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi, through
Dr Al-Sayeed, a Libyan Envoy who
Ghana's Vice President, John Mahama organization in the US.
(left), with evangelist Daniel Baidoo, after
Under Libyan Law, it is an offence
called on him at his office at the
securing his release.
to witness or try to convert a Libyan
Castle, Osu in Accra.
into another religion other than Islam.
Vice President Mahama had held discussions with
– Daniel Abugah, ASSIST News Service
the special envoy where he presented a formal letter
OM Launches Appeal To Help
Over 15,000 Deprived Children In India
IN an effort to meet the needs of the poor and deprived
children in India, Operation Mobilization, has launched
an appeal for sponsorship of the children.
The appeal, tagged ‘Help Feed A Child In India’ is
targeting more than 15,000 of the poorest children in
India, from the severely oppressed Dalit people, also
known known as ‘the untouchables.’
This is information is contained in a statement by the
ministry that was founded by George Verwer, adding
that the appeal is expected to give hope to the children
of India and that education would normally be out of
reach for them, but they are students in OM's nearly 100
Dalit schools.
‘The English-based education offers them future job
opportunities that would otherwise be impossible. In
addition, the students take what they learn in school
about God and His love and share it with their families
at home,’ the statement said.
It noted that many of the children are from families
who don't have enough money to provide lunch for the
school day and that a good education is available at no
cost, but the children are hungry and undernourished.
It stated: ‘Approximately 50% of India's children suf-
fer from malnutrition, and most of those are among the
Dalits.’ It noted that OM is addressing this need in India
with a new program which will provide a healthy meal to
the children who cannot bring lunch to school adding
that a generous supporter is matching gifts given for this
so that the amount is doubled and the impact is doubled. Operation Mobilization works around the world with
5,400 missionaries from more than 90 nations working
in more than 110 countries and on board two oceangoing mission ships. OM seeks to demonstrate and proclaim the love of God through evangelism, church planting, discipleship, and literature distribution and also by
providing relief and development in many areas of the
world.
On Muslim Outreach in India and on board the ships,
we also note that OM is one of the largest mission
organizations working in Muslim outreach, and is also
one of the largest mission organizations in India.
OM's ship ministry welcomes more than 1 million
people onboard its mission ships each year. Throughout
their history, the ships have welcomed 38 million people
in nearly 500 cities and distributed 50 million Scripture
portions.
NEW LIFE – 14 may 2009 – Page Twenty Seven
NEW LIFE EXTRA
NEW LIFE – 14 May 2009 – Page Twenty Eight