Monday

And all of you must put on the apron of humility,

to serve one another;

for the scripture says, “

God resists the proud,

but shows favor to the humble.”

~1 Peter 5:5 (TEV)~

From Mary Criswell

Please add my brother, Joe (Brent), who lives in Nashville(formerly in Baton Rouge)to the prayer link. He was diagnosed with a malignancy on his kidney. He will see the Oncologist this week to begin treatment.

Mrs. Ruth Cutrer asked that we pray for Mrs. Faye Pike.  She will be getting a replacement pacemaker Tuesday at North Oaks.

INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS PRAYERLINE
IMB
Monday, August 16, 2010

“Finally, pray for us, brothers, that the Lord’s message may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you” (2 Thessalonians 3:1, HCSB).

Dear Intercessors, this is Eleanor Witcher of the Office of Global Prayer Strategy, asking you to pray for South Asians dispersed throughout the world.

The clothing and accents of South Asians living in your city may seem to make them stand out as unique, but in fact, their numbers are growing. Millions of South Asians have emigrated to the United States and Canada, the Caribbean islands, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Please pray for volunteer teams who are making contact with South Asian immigrants through Vacation Bible School outreach, Scripture distribution, medical clinics, sports activities, distribution of “JESUS” film DVDs, and nightly worship and preaching.

In three new suburban housing areas in Canada, approximately 25 percent of the new residents are expected to be South Asian immigrants. There are spiritual walls separating them from Christ. By keeping mostly within their own ethnic and religious networks, they have minimal contact with those who love Jesus and are His witnesses. A volunteer team from North Carolina recently sowed seeds by distributing multi-language “JESUS” film DVDs and Bible portions to 5,000 new homes.

The South Asian community of East Africa developed over a period of centuries. The largest segment has ancestral ties to the people of the State of Gujarat, India. In addition, there are sizable populations from all parts of India, the Punjab and Goa. Smaller pockets come from Pakistan, Iran and all of the Arabian and Persian Gulf states. The different nationalities are reflected in the diversity of language and religion. English has been the medium of communication in schools for many years.

* Please pray that the Holy Spirit will be poured out on South Asian people through prayer, networking, evangelizing and discipling.

* Ask God to bless the weekly radio broadcasts in East Africa, leading to a church-planting movement.

* Thank the Lord for South Asians in your community and ask for courage to tell them about Jesus.

KneEmail

“At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow….” Philippiams 2:10

Mike Benson, Editor

WHEN JOHN SAID, “It is not lawful (or “permitted”) for you to have your brother’s wife” (Mark 6:18), he surely made reference not to the laws of the land, but rather to the law of God…

Herod was sleeping with his brother’s wife, and the wedding ceremony failed to change the adulterous nature of their relationship.

Same-gender marriages, legalized for the first time in U.S. history on May 17, 2004, offer an unhappy illustration of this point.  The Bible strongly denounces homosexuality.  Moses’ law condemns the offender to death by stoning.  The New Testament writer, Paul, calls the sin a perversion and warns that those guilty of it will miss the eternal kingdom (Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10).  From God’s perspective, legalizing same-sex marriage has no cleansing effect on the perverted behavior.  Married or not, two men or two women sleeping together will be under judgment.

The parallel is striking.  Moses’ law condemns adulterers to death by stoning.  The New Testament writer, Paul, warns that people guilty of this sin will be excluded from God’s eternal kingdom.  If legalizing same-sex relationships fails to legitimize them in the sight of God, why would legalizing an adulterous relationship sanctify it?

Heather is in a terribly difficult situation.  She loves Don and knows that terminating her relationship with him would be extremely painful for everyone involved, especially the children.  How could a loving God expect her to do such a thing?  Two vital truths demand attention here.  First, God is not to blame for Heather’s predicament.  Jesus clearly states that sexual immorality is the only legitimate reason for ending the sacred bond of marriage.  Heather’s own sinful and disobedient choices have created the dilemma she now finds herself in.

Second, obeying God, though sometimes very difficult, is always ultimately best for the obedient person.  According to Paul, “those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24).  “Crucified” suggests pain.  Dying to self hurt, but the reward of living a pure, God-pleasing life more than compensates for any loss of worldly pleasure.  David Wright, “The Samaritan’s Immoral Lifestyle,” Real Women–Real Problems, 134-135

“Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” Colossians 3:5

Have a great week!

Anna Lee