After a wave of gruesome violence that included hacking victims to death, the Bangladesh government has arrested more than 11,000 people. Among those arrested were 150 members of Jama’atul Mujahedin Bangladesh, an Islamist group that the country had previously banned. The targeted victims include Hindus, Christians, Sufi Muslims, activists and foreigners. The group’s actions have…
By Laban66 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10403927 The Vladimir Putin-led Russian government recently passed sweeping anti-terror legislation that reduces all citizen’s rights to privacy while potentially infringing on the right of Christians to engage in missions. “It could stop missionary activity to anybody but representatives, registered organizations and groups,” said Joel Griffith of…
Christmas is a joyous time. It is accompanied by Christmas trees, Christmas carols, Christmas gifts, etc. Yet, we can get so caught-up in consumerism, that we become stressed and not focused on Jesus at that time. Many people (over 2 billion) have not had the opportunity to hear of Christ’s first coming for even one…
Floodwaters ravaged low-lying Ellicott City, Md., in late July, claiming two lives while destroying homes and businesses. Located 14 miles west of Baltimore, the town received 6.5 inches of rain, mostly within two hours, according to the National Weather Service. More than 100 people required rescue services, which included spontaneous citizen responses. The local Patapsco…
A relentless monsoon season has claimed an estimated 100 lives in Nepal and India while displacing more than 1.2 million people, according to government estimates. Water-induced landslides crushed buildings and caused many of the deaths. In one area of Nepal, rescuers were pulling bodies out of the debris and immediately handing those bodies to their…
As coalition forces back Iraqi military efforts to regain ISIS-controlled cities, the resulting victories in Fallujah and elsewhere leave cause for concern, according to FBI Director James Comey. Comey believes the defeated ISIS militants in Iraq will take their fight to Western Europe and the United States. Minorities, particularly Christians, in Muslim-majority Iraq believe that…
“The church exists by mission as a fire exists by burning.” ~ Emil Bruner ~ Emil bruner was a swiss theologian.
As the world focused on Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympics, prostitutes as young as nine years old poured into the city in hopes of cashing in on the influx of tourists and money. Prostitution is legal in Brazil, and so rampant that child prostitutes regularly work the 262 truck stops on the 2,800-mile…
“Would that God would make hell so real to us that we cannot rest; heaven so real that we must have men there, Christ so real that our supreme motive and aim shall be to make the Man of Sorrows the Man of Joy by the conversion to him of many.” ~ Hudson Taylor ~…
No reserves. No retreats. No regrets.” ~ William Borden ~ william borden was a missionary to north china.
The 167 million “untouchable’ Dalits of India continue to face widespread abuse and discrimination with little hope for their human rights, according to the Dalit Network. This abuse and neglect has happened for 3,000 years as the rest of India view them “only to be slaves, to be broken and crushed.” In Chandigarh, a 21-year-old…
“There is nothing in the world or the Church – except the church’s disobedience – to render the evangelization of the world in this generation an impossibility.” ~ Robert Speer ~
“We should not ask, ‘What is wrong with the world?’ for that diagnosis has already been given. Rather, we should ask, ‘What happened to the salt and light?’” ~ John R. Stott ~
In early June when Omar Mateen murdered 49 people and wounded 53 others in a mass shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, he showed no signs of remorse or panic, according to local law officials. President Obama called Mateen’s attack homegrown terrorism inspired by radical material accessible online. Mateen pledged allegiance to ISIS…
‘”Not called!’did you say? ‘Not heard the call,’ I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go…
“It is the sincere and deep conviction of my soul when I declare that if the Christian faith does not culminate and complete itself in the effort to make Christ known to all the world, that faith appears to me a thoroughly unreal and insignificant thing, destitute of power for the single life and incapable…
Torrential rains fell in West Virginia beginning June 23, claiming 23 lives, damaging more than 1,200 homes and causing power outages for 30,000 homes and businesses. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) called the flooding a “historic” tragedy. The flash flooding washed out roadways and building structures. Many homes were swept off their foundations. Severed…
“If God calls you to be a missionary, don’t stoop to be a king.” ~ Jordan Groom ~
“I cannot understand how any man or woman can believe in the Lord’s coming and not be a missionary, or at least committed to the work of missions with every power of his being.” ~ A.B. Simpson ~ A.B. Simpson was the founder of the christian missionary alliance.
Myanmar called an annual report issued by the U.S. State Department “sad and regrettable” after being named among the worst human trafficking offenders. Along with Iran, North Korea and Syria, the report cited Myanmar’s negligence to meet “the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking.” Reuters reported that Myanmar’s ranking, which got downgraded from the previous year,…
“Prayer needs no passport, visa or work permit. There is no such thing as a “closed country” as far as prayer is concerned… much of the history of mission could be written in terms of God moving in response to persistent prayer.” ~ Stephan Gaukroger ~ stephen gaukroger is the director of the clarion trust…
“If there be any one point in which the Christian church ought to keep its fervor at a white heat, it is concerning missions. If there be anything about which we cannot tolerate lukewarmness, it is the matter of sending the gospel to a dying world.” ~ Charles Spurgeon ~
A shortage of the yellow fever vaccine has led the United Nations health agency to endorse lower doses that reduce immunity from a lifetime to approximately 12 months. The World Health Organization recommends using a fifth of the standard dose to stretch the current vaccines. Mass immunization in Angola following 300 deaths since December depleted…
“We face a humanity that is too precious to neglect. We know a remedy for the ills of the world too wonderful to withhold. We have a Christ too glorious to hide. We have an adventure that is too thrilling to miss.” ~ Theodore Williams ~ Theodore williams was the founder and first general secretary of the…
“There are only three kinds of Christians when it comes to world missions: zealous goers, zealous senders, and disobedient.” ~ John Piper ~
More than 84,000 Iraqis left their possessions, businesses and schools to live without shelter in 115-degree desert heat and sandstorms as ISIS assaulted Fallujah. ISIS forces controlling Fallujah defended their siege with bullets, bombs and children as coalition backed Iraqi forces fought to regain the city. The Islamic extremists used the estimated 20,000 Iraqi children…
“The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, including those that are lost. It is the job of the church to explore the uttermost, to raise His banner, and to claim those lost souls of men for the Lord.” ~ David Bennett ~ David bennett is a missionary to brazil.
“If God’s love is for anybody anywhere, it’s for everybody everywhere.” ~ Edward Lawlor ~ Edward Lawlor is the General Superintendent of the Nazerene Church.
Rwanda’s rainy season has caused higher than normal landslides that the nation’s disaster relief officials say have mostly claimed the lives of children among the 53 dead. Between January and April, landslides killed 67 others Rwandans. Rwanda incurred one of history’s greatest genocides in 1994 when 800,000 people died in about 90 days as rivals…
“If the church is to be missionary, she must be spiritual; and if the church is to be spiritual, she must be missionary.” ~ G. Campbell Morgan ~
“Mission is at the heart of the divine reality. It is the will of God and the Kingdom of God which are to be made known. Wherever we are, our purpose is not to propagate the Church as an end in itself, but to proclaim Christ as Lord of all life and as Saviour of…
In early May, a massive wildfire called “The Beast” enveloped Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada’s oil sands capital. It forced the largest wildfire evacuation in in the province’s history. The wildfire eventually consumed an estimated 1.5 million acres and 2,400 homes, forcing 80,000 residents to seek refuge in cities such as Edmonton. In early June, officials…
Cyclone Roanu recently swept across the Indian ocean and made landfall near Chittagong, Bangladesh, claiming 26 lives as it displaced 500,000 people. The government ordered 2 million people to evacuate the coastal areas, which officials believe kept the death toll low. But many ignored the warning because the cyclone’s winds were only about 50 miles…
“Mission is ultimately not a human response to human need. The Church’s involvement in mission is its privileged participation in the actions of the triune God.” ~ Tim Dearborn ~ tim dearborn serves with worldvision.
“Lack of world vision in any Christian produces a ‘pea-sized Christianity.’” ~ David Bryant ~
Sri Lanka’s heaviest rains in 25 years have caused massive mudslides resulting in about 63 confirmed dead and up to 200 missing families buried in 50 feet of mud. Officials estimate that 200,000 people have left Colombo, the nation’s low-lying capital, while 400,000 have fled to state-run relief camps. Deforestation meant to create more farmland…
Long-time missionaries Harold Nichols and Randy Hentzel died in April, apparent victims of a robbery attempt and murder in Jamaica. In June, Jamaican police arrested one man and were seeking a second suspect for questioning. Nichols and Hentzel were part of the US-based TEAMS for Medical Missions and had been in Jamaica since 2002. The…
“I am a missionary, heart and soul. God had an only Son, and He was a missionary and a physician. A poor, poor imitation of Him I am, or wish to be. In this service I hope to live; in it I wish to die.” ~ Dr. David Livingstone ~ Dr. David livingstone was a…
“God is not looking for men of great faith, only some common souls like you or me… willing to trust in His Great Faithfulness.” ~ Hudson Taylor ~ hudson taylor was a missionary to china and founder of china inland missions.
After an estimated 2,500 refugee drownings in the Mediterranean Sea and scores of immigrants settling in makeshift camps throughout Paris, Mayor Anne Hidalgo has announced a new plan for her city. “Paris will not stand by and do nothing as the Mediterranean becomes a graveyard of refugees,” Hidalgo said as she announced the establishment…
“In no other way can the believer become as fully involved with God’s work, especially the work of world evangelism, as in intercessory prayer.” ~ Dick Eastman ~ Dick eastman is the international director of every home for christ.
“The command has been to “go,” but we have stayed – in body, gifts, prayer and influence. He has asked us to be witnesses unto the uttermost parts of the earth… but 99% of Christians have kept puttering around in the homeland.” ~ Robert Savage ~ robert savage was a missionary in colombia.
Earthquake prone Japan had yet another earthquake May 16 when a 5.6 magnitude event shook the eastern region of Honshu, the nation’s main island. The epicenter was 60 miles northeast of Tokyo, and about 24 miles underground. Officials quickly stated that the earthquake would not cause a tsunami, which occurred in northeast Honshu in 2011….
“If you take missions out of the Bible, there is little left but the covers.” ~ Nina Gunter ~ Nina gunter is the superintendent of the church of the nazerane.
“Away in foreign lands they wondered how Their simple words had power. At home the Christians, two or three, Had met to pray an hour. Yes, we are always wondering, wondering how – Because we do not see Someone – perhaps unknown and faraway – On bended knee.” ~ Anonymous ~
Oil-rich Venezuela crisis continues to grow, with food and medicine shortages. Amidst cries of “we are hungry,” Venezuelans are increasingly robbing stores of food and medicine as panic grows across their country, which has 481 percent inflation. Coupled with a drought that inhibits the nation’s hydroelectric production, the communist government has also declared a two-day…
“What would we do about it if the 66,000 who die every day in unreached people groups were individuals trapped in a well?” ~ Phil Bogosian ~ Phil bogosian is the us director of us center of world mission.
“The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Christ, the more missionary we become.” ~ Henry Martyn ~ Henry Martyn was a missionary to india and persia.
Let the games begin, whether the host country is ready or not. As Rio de Janeiro awaits an estimated 7.5 million international guests for the 2016 Summer Olympics, questions remain about Brazil’s preparedness. Some venues are still not completed, the Zika virus that apparently originated there now threatens all of the Americas, their president is…
“Almost every page of the Gospel of John speaks of mission as sending, with regard to Jesus and with regard to us as well. Jesus did not come on His own, but His Father sent Him (John 8:42). He did not speak His own words but the words of the Father who sent Him (3:34;…
