It’s Wednesday, November 1st, A.D. 2023. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Jonathan Clark
International Day of Prayer for persecuted this Sunday
Persecution watchdog groups are calling on Christians around the world to pray for their suffering brothers and sisters in Christ this coming Sunday.
On Sunday November 5th, the Evangelical Alliance will host an online event for the International Day of Prayer for the persecuted church. The event will include contributions from Release International, Open Doors, and Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
The World Evangelical Alliance said, “According to the World Watch List, 5,621 Christians were killed, over 2,100 churches were attacked, and more than 4,500 Christians were detained for their faith in 2022. These staggering numbers highlight the harsh reality that many believers endure daily–harassment, discrimination, wrongful imprisonment, and even death for their devotion to Christ.”
1 Corinthians 12:26-27 says, “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”
Majority of Hamas’ hostages are from Thailand
Last Wednesday, the government of Israel said over half of the estimated 220 hostages held by Hamas, the Muslim terrorist group, have foreign passports. This includes people from the U.S., Germany, Argentina, France, Russia, and the Philippines. However, the largest national group is from Thailand, numbering 54 people.
Thais are one of the largest sources of foreign labor in Israel with an estimated 30,000 in the country. Since the conflict erupted between Israel and Hamas this month, Thais accounted for the most foreign deaths and missing people.
Overall, Israel reports the initial attack by Hamas killed 1,400 people. And Hamas reports over 8,300 people have died in Gaza since Israel responded with airstrikes.
$14 billion aid bill for Israel
In the U.S., House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana brought forward a $14 billion aid package for Israel on Monday. The legislation would do this by cutting an equal amount of funding from the Internal Revenue Service.
The bill also separates funding for Israel from funding for Ukraine which the White House was seeking to combine into one package.
America’s growing economy
U.S. economic growth beat expectations over the past few months.
The Gross Domestic Product increased at an annual rate of 4.9 percent in the third quarter of 2023. That’s up from 2.1 percent GDP growth in the second quarter, and above expectations of 4.7 percent growth.
Much of the growth came from an increase in consumer spending on goods and services. It’s also the biggest Gross Domestic Product gain since the fourth quarter of 2021. However, economists are expecting growth to slow over the next quarter.
Parents lost custody of child over objection to transgender transition
Shockingly, an Indiana married couple lost custody of their child because of their Biblical stance on sex and gender. It’s a stark contrast with the state’s commitment to providing what it calls “gender-affirming mental health care” to their son. Unbelievably, it was all done without the consent of the Christian parents.
After losing their case at the Indiana Court of Appeals, Jeremy and Mary Cox have appealed their case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In more bad news, the courts have also barred the Christian parents’ right to religious instruction in their own home. The Cox Family shared their story in a YouTube video.
MARY COX: “We are speaking out about this case now because parental rights need to be protected in Indiana. Our family should have never had to go through this. We don’t want any other family in Indiana to go through it either.”
You can help the family through a link in our transcript today at TheWorldview.com.
40 Days for Life has saved 202 babies since September 27th
And finally, 40 Days for Life has confirmed reports of 202 babies saved from abortion during its latest prayer campaign that started on September 27.
Generally, the reports are confirmed by moms and dads telling on-site prayer warriors that they decided not to have an abortion.
However, one report of a life saved came through a gift. Sheryl, a local campaign leader, shared, “Tom arrived early at the vigil site and discovered roses in a decorative glass dish with a note that read, ‘She chose life!’ In a prayer of thanksgiving for this mother choosing life, we placed the roses at the memorial for born and unborn children at St. Joseph Cemetery in Iowa City.”
Psalm 82:3-4 says, “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Wednesday, November 1st in the year of our Lord 2023. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I’m Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.