Prayer Walk in the Meon Valley

 On the third Saturday in May (D.V.) I will be prayer walking in the Meon Valley visiting parish churches at Corhampton, Exton and Meonstoke. I have informed local clergy, who have no objections to this spiritual practice.

Like the prayer walks that I used to lead in Essex and in Finland, it seems good to pray for certain topics at different churches or places. Bible readings from the Psalms would be chosen. The suggested topics are: the nation and those in authority, those in ministry, missions and Christian leadership, personal needs, the sick and the suffering, especially in war and in places of conflict/persecution.

There will be time for quiet reflection as well as open prayer. We may sing appropriate hymns or songs, like Majesty and Our God Reigns,  but only if we feel in good voice and able to make a joyful sound.

We should break bread together at a pub on route and I hope to book a table, perhaps al fresco.

Please let me know if you wish to come.

Blessings from Bishopstoke 

John

Johli Baptist 

Charismatic Concerns

 Those within the Charismatic movement in the USA who are raising concerns about the fallout from various high profile exposures,  serious moral failures and falls from grace.  There have been resignations after report of sexual misconduct and highly inappropriate behaviour by leaders and those in high profile ministries.  There is also concern about the mendacity of leaders involved in protecting and covering up abuse, deceit and corruption.

It seems that there has too much emphasis on building up these high profile leaders, popular preachers and super star speakers at conferences.  They have been cleverly promoted and positioned at large gatherings and given lucrative preaching engagements.  Book deals, advertising, media reviews and endorsements have helped enormously. Some leaders had a very inflated view of their ministry and importance. Some have come crashing down and the results are painful.  The victims are revealing inconvenient truth and bad fruit is eventually apparent.

Another grave concern is in weakness of the Charismatic preaching which has failed to articulate the basic Gospel.  I have found the Wake Up and Win podcasts, and Mike Wingers' insights on YouTube very revealing. Some mega church ministries have obscured the truth in a haze of half truths, comfortable words, spiritually weak words, watered down messages, so that there is no conviction of sin, righteousness and judgment.  The Cross has little meaning according to this weak message.  Repentance and renouncing worldly ways, holiness and the pursuit of theological clarity are seriously absent.  The flock are kept in a state of theological and spiritual infancy.  There is little depth and width of knowledge, disciplined discipleship and godly experience.  Some years ago Willow Creek found that there was a lack of growth, shallow Bible knowledge and Christian maturity.  It is now reported to be the case within certain circles at Bethel Chapel, Redding, California, IHOP Kansas City and other large congregations. Superficiality and shallowness are allegedly rife.  Sound and profound Bible knowledge is apparently lacking.  Is there a famine of the Word of God???

A Shameful Sacking at Cliff College

It is shameful that Cliff College told Dr Aaron Edwards that his evangelical teaching on sexuality, a single tweet defending Christian sexual ethics, had brought the college into disrepute.  Dr Edwards was abused and sacked for breaching the college's social media policy, clearly a pseudo Christian media policy.  Disgraceful.  

Cliff College should be ashamed that this theological institution has failed to uphold established and orthodox Christian doctrine, and it has brought Cliff College into disrepute.  In the conservative evangelical constituency Cliff College will now be regarded as compromised by contemporary and worldy wisdom, the spirit of the age, arguably by woeful woke ethics of DEI, or DIE as some prefer to call it. 

Cliff College and certain members of the Methodist Church have embraced and are wedded to this progressive social media policy, a broad way that leads away from Gospel truth and New Testament teaching.  A sad day for Cliff College and those who support it.  I expect many evangelical to give it a very wide berth.  Could Cliff College leading people over a cliff?

From the Gulf to the Caspian Sea, O Lord set the people free

 My earnest prayer for the Iranian people is that the Lord will set the people free from the tyrannical regime that is murdering innocent protesters. May the Lord remove those who have hatred in their hearts for those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, freedom and truth.  

The future looks bleak but there is hope for the growing resistance and those in the Christian community. May God keep and bless them abundantly. 

Lord in your mercy, hear the cries of the suffering survivors of brutality and repression, those who call on your name in the face of injustice.

May righteous government be restored with lawful order and may human rights flourish.  Lord, come to the aid of those who wish to see justice return to the streets of Iran.

From the Gulf to the Caspian Sea may the Iranian people be set free.

Iranians are now fighting to free the people from tyranny

 The reign of terror by the iniquitous and murderous mullahs is doomed to destruction. Decline and decay in Iran we now see.  The people are demanding to be free, free from this toxic tyranny. The religious rule of lying clerics will end. The ruling leadership dispensing death and destruction cannot be maintained.  Truth and the quest for human rights in Iran will prevail. History will condemn this evil Islamic state, this regime of terror which exported terrorism and ruined an economy.

Islamists took the country backwards into poverty and religious slavery, a hell of chaos, pain and fear.

The blood of the martyrs will be the seed of liberated people in Iran, the Christian community and others who have been praying for the liberation of Iran.  The church in Iran, persecuted yet prayerful, has stood firm against the forces of darkness and doom.

Power to the protesters, the brave people in Iran

Right now the protesters have taken to the streets to demand freedom from oppression, tyranny and religious rule by menacing Mullahs.  They are calling for human rights, liberty and justice denied for far too long.  The people have had enough of the pseudo theocratic reign of terror.  Women have been treated so badly, like second class citizens.  Iran has been under the curse of the Islamic thought police and agents of state sanctioned brutality. Torture and imprisonment were used frequently against dissenters and opponents of the despotic regime.  

The level of protest shows that the regime has failed miserably to provide a stable economy, an open and just society that listens to its people.  For many it has been a prison state, a place of sadness, sorrow and strict measures which stifle enterprise and economic growth.  The regime is rotten to the core, and its cancerous hold needs to be removed.

God bless those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.  May their prayers for a better Iran be answered.

Jihadist terrorism is under attack by US forces in Nigeria

 We need to be clear the jihadism is alive and well in Nigeria and throughout Africa. Christians are being killed frequently by jihadist groups, ISIS, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram etc.  Muslims also suffer from this Islamofascism, the use of force, violence and murder to achieve religious and political ends.  As far as I know, no mainline Islamic group has completely renounced jihad.  Slavery and forced conversions still seem to be on jihadist agendas.  There seems to be plenty of evidence of jihadist groups forcing conversions and spreading their brand of Islam by the sword, so to speak, today and throughout history.

Are these air strikes a legitimate use of force? Necessary action against evil and terrorism? A just cause in pursuit of peace for the persecuted.

The USA is aware of the situation in Nigeria and has taken steps to stop the terrorism.  The air strikes against jihadist targets in north west Nigeria will be praised by some Christians in the US and in Africa. Many have prayed often for the churches to be protected and for worshippers to enjoy freedom and human rights.  In many countries it is hard to maintain a Christian witness, to express the faith and preach the Gospel.  

I thank the Lord for those who work hard to help the persecuted Church of God. Open Doors work to this end admirably. I pray that Barnabas Aid will sort out their problems and will meet the needs of the suffering churches.