Friday, April 27th, in the year of our Lord 2018
By Jonathan Clark
Religious Liberty Squelched in 28 Countries
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom released their 2018 report on Wednesday, citing 28 countries in an “ongoing downward trend” for religious liberty.
The report noted the Islamic State’s continued “genocidal campaign” against Christians and the unjust imprisonment of U.S. Pastor Andrew Brunson in Turkey.
The report also labeled 10 nations as countries of particular concern including countries with significant persecution against Christians like China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:10, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Pakistan Could Hand Down Death Sentence for Christian
Pakistan’s Supreme Court has promised to hear the final appeal for Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death on false blasphemy charges against Islam.
The hearing will likely occur this summer, according to the American Center for Law and Justice. Please pray for our sister in her trial.
Tom Evans Not Giving Up on Alfie
Alfie Evans’ father, Tom Evans, spoke to the press yesterday, thanking all the supporters of his 23-month-old son’s case, but asking them to return to their normal lives, as he works with Britain’s Alder Hey Hospital.
Evans is asking to take his son home now to sustain his life.
And European lawmakers are introducing a movement for what is being called “Alfie’s Law” to give families more say in the medical care of their children.
Mike Pompeo Confirmed as Trump’s Secretary of State
The first photos of the clandestine meeting between CIA Director Mike Pompeo with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un were released yesterday, just hours after Pompeo was confirmed as President Trump’s new Secretary of State, reports Fox News.
The North Korean leader announced last week that the country would suspend nuclear and long range missile testing and would shut down a nuclear site in its northern region.
President Donald Trump called this “big progress.” This comes ahead of a summit meeting later this year between the two countries.
Cosby Guilty on All Counts
In a bombshell verdict, comedian Bill Cosby, once known as America’s Dad, was found guilty on all three counts of aggravated indecent assault yesterday in a Norristown, Pennsylvania courtroom, reports the Associated Press.
Cosby was convicted of drugging and molesting Temple University employee Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia mansion 14 years ago in a verdict women’s advocates called a turning point in the #MeToo movement that proved what Cosby’s accusers had been saying all along — his nice-guy image was a sham.
Lili Bernard, a Cosby accuser and an actress who appeared on The Cosby Show, was in court every single day.
“But I looked at that jury – there’s this one young black man and I know the disappointment that he felt in looking at a beloved, black, male iconic father figure and being able yet to render a guilty verdict, I thank him!”
The unanimous verdict from the seven men and five women came after a two-week retrial in which prosecutors had more courtroom weapons at their disposal than they did the first time: They put on the stand five other women who testified that Cosby, married for 54 years, drugged and violated them, too.
The 80-year-old will likely spend his remaining years behind bars.
California Homeschooling Victory
Proverbs 21:1 reminds us, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.”
And God was at work in California which reportedly had its longest committee hearing on Wednesday as 1,500 people showed up to testify over a new bill to regulate homeschooling.
The Homeschool Legal Defense Association said the bill did not receive a single vote after the testimonies despite a Democratic lead sponsor and five Democratic committee members.
God of Bible vs. “Higher Power”
The U.S. population that claims to believe in God has fallen from 92 percent in 2007 to 80 percent last year, according to Pew Research.
Further, Pew Research found not everyone who claims to believe in God embraces the God of the Bible.
56 percent of Americans say they believe in the God of the Bible, 10 percent deny the existence of God, and the remaining third of Americans claim to believe in some sort of divinity or higher power.
God declares in Isaiah 42:8, “I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images.”
Sneak Peek: Praying for Muslims
Would you pray for Muslims to come to Christ? That’s the 30-day challenge from www.WorldChristian.com for the 25th year in a row. Stay tuned for my World View Special Report immediately following today’s newscast.
Waffle House Hero Strikes Again
And finally, 29-year-old James Shaw Jr. is being hailed as a hero after stopping a shooting at a Waffle House in Antioch, Tennessee early Sunday.
Shaw then started a GoFundMe page for the families of the victims which raised over $165,000 as of yesterday.
Closing Line
And that’s The World View in 5 Minutes on this Friday, April 27th in the year of our Lord 2018. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldView.com. I’m Adam McManus. Seize the day for Jesus Christ.
Special Report: Christians to Pray for Muslims During Ramadan
Time now for a World View Special Report. I’m Adam McManus.
By Adam McManus (adam@TheWorldView.com)
The idea of Christians praying for Muslims seems like a foreign concept.
When The World View spoke with Paul Filidis (pronounced Fi-LEE-dis) of www.WorldChristian.com, he understood the initial hesitation.
“If all that they know about Muslims is from what they seen on TV, it’s hard not to want to hate all Muslims or be afraid of Muslims. For Christians, we ought to remember that the Bible still says that we ought to not just love our neighbors, but even our enemies. And Muslims, in general, are not our enemies.”
Born in Germany to a Greek father and a German mother, Filidis traveled to Afghanistan in 1972 to study eastern religions as part of the broader worldwide hippie movement. In God’s providence, Filidis was surprised indeed to hear the claims of Christ — on Easter Sunday no less – from a British missionary named Mary Crocker who used a tract called “Bridge to Life.” Within ten minutes, he prayed the sinner’s prayer through tears. And now, years later, he has a heart for Muslims.
“There is a real awakening happening in the Muslim world that goes beyond the negative and terrorism stories we are so often confronted with on the news. There is another story. God is moving in the Muslim world in unprecedented ways. Never in the history of 1,400 years of Muslim-Christian relationships have there been so many Muslims turning to Jesus.”
That’s why Filidis is so excited about the 25th annual 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World, to be held May 15 through June 14, urging Christ followers to pray for the 1.5 billion Muslims.
“The 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World, which began in 1993, is now the largest ongoing annual call to the church worldwide to learn about, to pray for, to reach out to our world’s Muslim neighbors.
“This prayer focus coincides every year with the month of Ramadan which is an important month of fasting and devotion within the Muslim calendar. Christians are taking that opportunity to ask God, to seek God, on behalf of Muslims, and say, ‘God, please reveal Yourself to them during that time when Muslims are more sensitive to spiritual matters.’”
To guide Christians in their prayers, Filidis has produced a daily, full-color prayer guide —in adult and children’s editions—featuring 30 different themes, which conclude with three daily prayer points. The cost is just $3 and as cheap as $1.25 per copy for bulk orders. Already, www.WorldChristian.com, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, has distributed 100,000 copies just this year.
Filidis understands that it is a whole lot more difficult for a Muslim to come to Christ than for a Christian to pray for a Muslim.
“To look at Christianity, and possibly make a step toward Christ, it is in the traditional Muslim community tantamount with rejecting your culture, your family. There are people who are suffering for that, for Jesus. They are being killed, they’re being ostracized.”
Will you pray for the salvation of Muslims? Why not get 10 prayer guides for your family, Bible study or small group? Go to www.30DaysPrayer.com. That’s www.30DaysPrayer.com.
Jeremiah 29:12 contains the very thoughts of God Himself. “Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.”
This has been a World View Special Report. I’m Adam McManus.