Truth Alive: February 2018 by Sathyam Publications

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FEBRUARY 2018

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand.

”

John 10:27

EDITORIAL Dearly beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, Greetings to you in the matchless and the most precious name of our loving Saviour Jesus Christ! How often do we hear the voice of our Almighty Father and obey that voice? We hear a multitude of voices everyday but do we discern between the right and wrong voice! Listening to the right kinds of voices can make a huge difference in our lives. Psalms 29: 3 & 4 says that “The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters: The God of glory thundereth, Even Jehovah upon many waters. The voice of Jehovah is powerful; The voice of Jehovah is full of majesty (ASV).

God's voice is the voice of truth. When negative voices ﬁll our minds with lies, each believer ought to remind themselves of a greater voice that rules and reigns our lives and this universe. There is a beautiful song 'Voice of Truth' written by Steven Curtis Chapman / Mark Hall and sung by Casting Crowns and its chorus goes like this: “But the voice of truth tells me a different story The voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!” The voice of truth says, "This is for My glory” Out of all the voices calling out to me I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth.” The last two lines of the above chorus is profound. It means that there are various voices that battle in our minds, but which voice we choose to listen is our choice. The songwriter writes that he chooses to listen and believe the voice of truth. Listening to the voice of God is a very important step each believer should take in their relationship with Christ. Choosing to listen to a voice is our freewill and it is up to us to decide ﬁrmly that we will ONLY listen to God's voice. Many voices may seem appeasing and attractive to us, but the end of those voices may be destruction. God's voice is always the right and best choice for us even though it may hurt for a while. The pain is only temporary but we gain everlasting joy. It is our prayer at Sathyam Ministries that God speaks to you through the various articles in this month's magazine. May His voice resound in your hearts and I pray that we all choose to only listen to the voice of God which is the voice of truth. God bless you!

Dr. C.V. Vadavana Founder & Chairman, Sathyam Service Trust

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CONTENTS

PAGE

Just to Touch Jesus' Cloak! : Isaac Vadavana ....................................................................6

Attitude is Everything : Dr. Thomas Kulanjiyil ....................................................................7

This We Believe : Dr. Alexander Kurian ..............................................................................9

Marriage and Morality : Dr. John Mathew .........................................................................11

Choices : Joni Eareckson Tada ........................................................................................13

The Woman at the Well : Leonie Poole ..............................................................................15

He is Coming Back : Dr. Billy Graham ..............................................................................17

News / Events ................................................................................................................20

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In Matthew 9, We see the story of a woman who had been suffering from a blood disease all her life, going lengths ďŹ ghting through the crowds just to touch Jesus' cloak. She knew He could heal her sickness. I want to share with you these two wonderful thoughts from this amazing passage that has inspired me a lot these days!

Just to touch Jesus' cloak!

1; Coming to Him We see Jesus was walking and teaching to/with a large and busy crowd. Imagine 500 people crowded up around Jesus while He's preaching. We Indians know it really well how busy it will be! We know how bad a bus with even 50 people will be! It touches me deeply when I read that through this busy crowded, getting all the push and pulls, all the kicks, all the badtalks, the woman managed to reach to Jesus! Look at her dedication! She knew just by touching Jesus' cloak, she could be healed. How much effort do we take to come to Jesus? Are we ready to go through thick and thin to get to Jesus. Guess what? In Calvary, Jesus removed all that problems to get to Him. Rather, He came to us! How wonderful is that?

2; Thrusting rather than touching Do you have any idea how many hundreds and thousands of people touched Jesus just that single day? But only this woman's touch was special! It was not just her faith that healed her, It was her personal touch with Jesus that healed her. Everyone else touched Jesus with the crowd and with the ďŹ&#x201A;ow of the crowd, but the woman's touch was from the heart in the midst of the busy crowd! Let's not be thrusters, but rather be touching Jesus!

Isaac Vadavana

The woman in Matthew9 took so much effort to touch Jesus to get healed! Yet, our Bibles sit and collect dust and we barely talk to Him. How thriving are we for Him and His word?

Artwork by Dhiya Ann

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ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING

Dr. Thomas Kulanjiyil

An attitude is a frame of mind that expresses a person's thoughts, feelings, and evaluation about a person, place, thing, situation or an event, and as such it is a powerful motivator in all human behaviors. Attitude can be negative or positive, optimistic or pessimistic, and it is always directed to an object. Some attitudes are fleeting and circumstantial, but some are stable and representative of a person's personality traits. The famous German philosopher Dietrich Bonheoffer once said, “The essence of optimism is that it takes no account of the present, but it is a source of inspiration, of vitality and hope where others have resigned; it enables a man to hold his head high, to claim the future for himself and not to abandon it to his enemy.” Studies reveal that people that are optimistic tend to adapt better to their environment, respond well to psychological stressors, and recuperate faster and better after an illness or surgical procedure. They have the advantage of optimal immune response to treatments such as cancer. Optimistic persons are seldom quitters, and that boosts their coping mechanism and survival ability. A positive attitude in life is linked to improved quality of life, enhanced work performance, and a greater sense of life satisfaction. A Negative attitude, on the other hand, is characterized by a generally pessimistic orientation to life, self-defeating thought patterns, and lack of self-confidence. People with negative attitudes tend to worry about their circumstances and blame others for their problems, and their negativism stands as an obstacle to living life fully. They inadequately handle life stressors, and have limited adaptive skills. Pessimism breeds cynicism and despair. The personal resolve and hope of the optimistic person draws people to themselves and for that reason they appear to have stronger and more efficient support systems in comparison with those that are pessimistic. The negativity of pessimists repels people from them. What is important to realize is that our attitudes, to a large extent, are shaped by our environment. Our cognitive, emotional, social and personality developments are impacted by the kind of nurture we receive early in life, and then after, the kind of people that influence us. This is an important lesson for parenting. Children cultivate positive attitudes if parents demonstrate that for them, and children take on negative attitudes if they are raised in an environment of negativity and a critical spirit. There is much truth in the proverbial saying, “Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.”

The kind of attitude we foster in ourselves and in others makes a huge difference for our lives, and for the lives of others. By developing an optimistic way of thinking and acting, by learning to appreciate the good in others, and by educating ourselves to reappraise our circumstances differently, we can revolutionize our way of thinking, feeling, and evaluating people and our life situations. 7

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Dr. Alexander Kurian

AUTONOMOUS AND INDEPENDENT

(Continued)

Commenting on the autonomous spirit, Deffinbaugh wrote these penetrating words: “We dare not be independent of all others in our interpretation of Scripture, in a way that suggests that only we have found the truth and proclaim it. We dare not be independent of other churches in our sense of obligation to them. The distinguishing mark of Christians and of churches is their unity, not their independence. Thus, the church at Antioch expressed its unity with the church in Jerusalem in several ways. It accepted Barnabas when he was sent to them (Acts 11:22-24). It sent money to the “brethren in Judea” when word of the famine was prophesied (Acts 11:27-30). It also appealed to the church leaders in Jerusalem when the gospel was challenged by theJudaizers (Acts 15:1-3). The autonomy of the local church is a doctrine which needs to be very carefully defined and practiced. It should hardly be the watchword. Unity is the distinguishing mark of the church which Paul consistently stressed (Eph.4).” Organizationally, the churches of the New Testament were clearly independent, but organically they were directly and inseparably joined to the Head of the Church, the Lord Jesus Christ. This truth is a profound reminder for local assemblies to respect the independence and interdependence they share with others. As such, each church has the opportunity and obligation to partner in various levels of Christian life and ministry such as shared resources, shared suffering, shared encouragement, shared ministries, shared accountability, shared orthodoxy, etc… No church government is biblical that fails to recognize and practically demonstrate the unity of the church. Harping on the doctrine of independence at the expense of unity will betray our testimony in the world. Some Brethren have stretched the doctrine of the autonomous and independent nature of the assemblies to extreme and unhealthy positions and have overlooked the importance of interdependence. They have made independence the watchword to their own peril. They do not cooperate with other assemblies, and do not encourage, take part or support any united efforts by the people of God. Even when they are barely surviving as an assembly, they do not seek or welcome the help of ministering brothers from other assemblies or open avenues for help, fellowship and cooperation. They remain so isolated from others to their own demise (too independent and individualistic ecclesiology!). Eventually, they close down; the lampstand is removed. What a sad story! How can assemblies show/practice interdependence? That will be for the assemblies in each area to plan and implement. A 'one size fits all' approach will not work. United efforts in outreach, conducting special studies/seminars together, having a united book room/library, sharing of resources, and planning short-term mission trips, are just some examples of things that can be done. “On the one hand anything savoring of affiliation must be avoided, and on the other, local church autonomy should not militate against united activities for specified purposes. We must not be like the people of Laish who had 'no business with any man.' They were easily overcome (Judges 18:27, 28) Let us heed to this wise counsel! “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity” (Psalm133:1).

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MARRIAGE AND MORALITY (Continued)

By Dr. John Mathew

REQUIREMENTS FOR STABLE MARRIAGE Almighty God who created us made us male and female, and designed sex to be practiced only in the confines of marriage. Any other practice of sex is sin. Premarital sex is called fornication. Extramarital sex is adultery. But sex practiced within marriage and love is clean, holy and pure. The most obvious reason for sex is the reproduction of mankind. God has designed the marvelous human reproductive system to function in the confines of love and marriage. Sex has been designed by God to be the guiding force in preserving and perpetuating love between a husband and wife. The honeymoon is not meant to be a time for experienced sexual professionals to practice. The honeymoon should be that fearful, timid, beautiful, shy, and exciting period of time when two people who have begun to love one another, begin their new life together, and it should be their first joyful expression of sexual intimacy. Sexual experience should be learned together after the marriage ceremony. There is no valid reason that one should go out and learn it all in advance with multiple sex partners. Why create the possibility of sexualcomparisons and vivid memories of past experiences? One of life's greatest accomplishments is finding true love, marriage, and sex in the right order with theright person at the right time. The role of the Man and Woman in Marriage Christ gives us true freedom, as is seen in John 8:36 "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed (NKJV)." The message of the Bible liberated women all over the world from bondage and near slavery. Most of the religions in the world do not have any concrete teaching about the equality of woman. From the beginning of history, men with their superior physical strength, subjected women to near slavery type conditions, and provided very little respect toward them. Even today, in many parts of the world, their conditions are not better. For instance, in a weekly publication titled "India Herald," dated July 1995, under the "Community Affairs" section there was a report of a conference on dowry and bride burning, which stated the following: "Imagine if someone sneaks to your back as you are reading this and unloads a bucket of gasoline on you. You may jump and think why anyone should do that to me? Then you see someone at the door of the room holding a lighted match. The next moment the match is thrown at you and you burst into flames." Can you save yourself by taking off your burning clothes? There is no time. You may dismiss this as a paranoid delusion, but this sort of thing is exactly what happens to thousands of newly married girls in India whose fathers failed to pay their dowry installment. The report goes on to note that the first International Conference on "Dowry and Bride Burning in India "will be held on September 30th, October 1-2, 1995. Husbands and in-laws frequently impoverish the wife's family by insisting on gifts, usually cash, cars and electronic appliances, and mistreat her if they are not satisfied. Government figures show that at least 73,000 women were killed by their in-laws in the first 9 months of 1995 forproviding inadequate dowries. But women's groups say the number is much higher, as dowries is often the cause of many other deaths that are not published. Many deaths are usually passed off as kitchen accidents, (Reuter. Voice of Asia. Monday Jan 29.1996). These reports indicate that millions of women in this world, especially in Asia and Africa, are essentially living in chains of servitude. Women have been given a place of dignity and respect instead of reproach and shame, wherever the Bible message has been received. In many parts of Asia and Africa baby girls are killed as soon as they are born. Many previously oppressive and enslaving cultures have been revolutionized through the Christian influence. However, in the West the women's demands for equal rights have gone to the opposite extreme. Before these extremes are considered, it would be instructive to first examine the role of men and women under the government of God. God is never the author of confusion or disorder (1st Corinthians 14:23). (continued on page 12...) 11

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continued from page 11

MARRIAGE AND MORALITY He has never established a situation or condition that promotes disorder. On the contrary, He always has established peace and a government or order of authority necessary to maintain it. Even within the Divine Godhead there is an order of authority. Scripture speaks of the Father "sending the Son"(John 16:24), and the Father giving the promise of the Holy Spirit to the Son, who in turn sent the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:33). It also speaks of the Son obeying the Father (John 17:4). The presence of an order of authority does not infer the superiority of the Father or the inferiority of the Son or the Spirit with regards to their person. They are all equally God. Position and not person is the view when we speak of government. Within the Divine Godhead there is a perfect order of government which allows the three distinct co-equal and Divine persons of the Godhead to function in absolute perfect harmony. This perfect harmony is the result of the presence of loving authority and willing submission. If the above order is followed in a marriage, it cannot fail. It is God's perfect plan for order and blessing in a marriage. Unfortunately, men and women in their own wisdom altered this plan, and much disorder and accompanying sorrow has resulted (Proverbs 9:10). (to be continued...) 12

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CHOICES By Joni Eareckson Tada

“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” - Joshua 24:15

After living with quadriplegia for a short time, I finally got tired of being fed at our dinner table. But as I tried to feed myself with paralyzed arms, I felt like giving up. I wanted my arms back! Wasn't there an easier way than having a bent spoon inserted into the pocket on my leather arm splint? Then straining my weak shoulder muscles to scoop food on the spoon? Then balancing and lifting it to my mouth? It was humiliating to have my food land more times on my lap than in my mouth. I could have surrendered—it would have been easy and many wouldn't have blamed me. But I had to make a choice. Was I going to let disappointing failures overwhelm me? I decided the awkwardness of feeding myself outweighed the fleeting satisfaction of self-pity. It pushed me to pray, O God, help me with this spoon! Today I can easily feed myself. No, I didn't recover the use of my hands, but I was able to leave self-pity behind, as well as cultivate a little bit of humility. It meant making the hard choice many, many times. My growth in Christ can probably be boiled down to one word: choose. Choosing the right path is hard. Often we have keep pushing through failures. Sometimes it seems easier just to ignore God's instructions. But Proverbs 8:10-11 says, “Choose My instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold….” What a difference you can make for the kingdom if you will follow the lead of the Savior and “Choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For the Lord is your life….” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). Father, every day is filled with so many choices. Touch my awareness, open my eyes, quicken my understanding to the eternal implications of seeking Your heart and choosing Your path.

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The Woman at the Well By Leonie Poole To worship God is to honour & respect Him, to lift His name & be humble before Him. It a 'whole life thing”– Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacriﬁces, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship'. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:1-2 If our worship doesn't involve every aspect of our lives, is it really worship? We honour and respect God by obeying Him in our everyday lives. But what does it mean to worship “in spirit and in truth”. God is 'spirit'. We can't worship Him unless we are ourselves spiritually alive and connected to Him. To be spiritually alive we must be born – not just physically as a human being, but born also of his Spirit. Jesus spelled this out to Nicodemus in the preceding chapter of John's gospel. 'No one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the spirit. Flesh gives birth to ﬂesh but the spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at me saying 'You must be born again'. John 3:5-7. To worship in spirit and truth we must be born of God's spirit & recognise Jesus as the ultimate truth. In John 14:6, it is recorded that Jesus answered Thomas, 'I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me'. To worship in spirit and in truth is only possible if we acknowledge who Jesus is and submit to His authority in our life, including every hidden recess of our life.

(Continued)

believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justiﬁed and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved, as the Scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.” Rom 8:9-11 To worship in spirit and truth is to be born of God's spirit, to be 'in Christ'. “Remain in me and I will remain in you” Jesus said to His followers John 15:4 Let's return to our Samaritan woman. Once again she is a bit out of her depth “I know that Messiah (called Christ) is coming. When He comes He will explain everything to us”, she states. It is then that Jesus plainly reveals His identity to her: I who speak to you am He. She has a “light bulb moment” and is thoroughly CONVICTED. Her townsfolk may have looked down on her for her shady past, but she was humble enough to put all that aside. In her excitement, she left her water jar where it was & hurried to tell her people what she has discovered. “Could this be the Christ?”, she urged them to consider. Isn't it surprising? It is not those hardened 'ever so correct' Pharisees who accept Jesus as the saviour en masse, but the despised Samaritans “We no longer believe just because of what you said: now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the saviour of the world”. They were CONVINCED, telling isn't it. God has no favourites. He is seeking those who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth. Don't delay.

“If you confess with your mouth that 'Jesus is Lord' and 15

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He Is Coming Back Dr. Billy Graham

Keep a sharp lookout! For you do not know when I will come. . . . Watch for My return! —Mark 13:35, 36 (TLB) The great Dwight L. Moody used to say, “I never preached a sermon without thinking that possibly the Lord may come before I preach another.” Dr. G. Campbell Morgan, the distinguished British clergy-man, said, “I never begin my work in the morning without thinking that perhaps he may interrupt my work and begin His own. I am not looking for death. I am looking for Him.” That is the way a Christian should live his life – in the constant anticipation of the return of Jesus Christ! If we could live every day as though it may be the very last one before the ﬁnal judgment, what a difference it would make here on earth! But we don't like to think that way. We don't like to think that our carefully made plans, our long range schemes may be interrupted by the trumpet of God. Too many people would rather say, “Oh, well, the end of the world hasn't come yet, so why think about it – it's probably a thousand years away.”

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auxiliary of Kottayam, as ecclesiastical representatives. Father Deepak Thomas K J is the secretary of the youth council. The movement is spread over all the states and regions of India. It functions through its 14 ecclesiastical regions that cover all 174 dioceses in the country. The movement strives to promote leadership among youth in various streams, such as religious, social and public life, to be at the service of the church and the nation.

Nagaland Baptist Church asks Christians to refrain from practicing Yoga

BANGALORE NEWS

Logos Retreat Centre presents And English Retreats Program on 8/04/18 TO 12/04/18 at Logos Retreat Centre Prakruthy Township Babusapalaya Bangalore. All are invited for this special Meeting.

New Leadership for The IndianCatholic Youth Movement Bengaluru: The Indian Catholic Youth Movement has elected Vishal Francis from Agra as its new national president. The election was held during the movement's 44 national council meeting held January 27-26 at the National Biblical Catechetical and Liturgical Centre in Bengaluru, southern India. The meeting also elected Mary Margaret of West Bengaland Sikkim region as secretary and John Praveen of Tamil Nadu as treasurer. The vice presidents are Kimee Minj of Madhya Pradesh and Abhilash Reddy of Telugu region. The meeting elected Sunil Dennis of Karnataka and Delia Cardozo of Western region and spokespersons of the movement. The team will hold ofﬁce for the next two years. The movement is youth wing of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India. The council has Bishops Henry D'Souza of Bellary, Vincent Mar Paulos of Marthandam and Joseph Pandarasseril, 20

Kohima: The Chakhesang Baptist Church Council (CBCC), a constituent of the Nagaland Baptist Church Council, has urged every Christian believer to refrain from practicing Yoga, in line with the appeal made by the Nagaland BCC few months ago. The CBCC reiterated its stand on anti-Christians ideologies recently and appealed to all concerned authorities not to impose yoga practices to Naga students to uphold the religious freedom envisaged in the Constitution. CBCC resolved to pray and ﬁght against all exploitative and oppressive forces and ideologies that were found inimical and detrimental to Christian faith and practices. A press release by CBCC executive secretary, Rev. Dr. Vezopa Tetseo stated that in the annual meeting resolutions were adopted by the delegates present. It also resolved on church unity as well as sanctity and called upon all the believers and churches to uphold the Biblical sanctions of Christian marriage. The meet also resolved that in view of the forthcoming state general election, it would commit to consciously and faithfully exercise one's franchise and further rededicate to sensitize, advocate, promote and practice clean election in accordance with the NBCC Clean Election guidelines.

Bangalore archdiocese reassures Migrants Bengaluru: Archbishop Bernard Moras of Bangalore has assured the migrant community in the southern Indian city the Church's wholehearted support to their concerns. “We are called as shepherds of the new ﬂock and I assure you all assistance to make your lives meaningful,” the archbishop told some 700 people from various parts of India settled in Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka state. The Commission for the Migrants in the Archdiocese of Bangalore organized the annual International Migrants Day gathering on January 14 at Good Shepherd auditorium in the city. The prelate asked the participants to bring their views and concerns to the archdiocese. The participants included people from northeastern India and tribal people from

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Assam, Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha. People from various African countries also attended the program. Salesian Father Edward Thomas, joint secretary of the commission, in his welcome address expressed happiness at the good response to the invitation to the program. The program started with “Praise and worship” led by the Spiritual Revival Ministry and Brothers of Betharram fathers and friends from African continent.

Khozawl hails from Haﬂong Parish, Diphu diocese in Assam, said the gathering was a sign of unity among people of migrants in Bengaluru. The archdiocese of Bangalore formed the commission for the migrants in 2015 and the Bangalore unit of the Conference of Religious India carries out various ministry for the migrants along with the pastoral care. The commission has been organizing various programs for the migrant communities since its launch.

Life and Hope Ministries Presents

Sister Theresa Meera, provincial superior of the Good Shepherd congregation, in her message stressed the oneness of the migrants community living in and around Bengaluru and their various contribution to our local Church and society. Monsignor S Jayanathan, vicar general of the archdiocese, led the Mass. “We welcome every migrant person in this archdiocese without any reservation and offer them our service,” he said in his homily. Different communities showcased their talents during the cultural program held in the afternoon. Sacred Heart Father Shaju Kalappurakkal, executive secretary for the commission for the migrants in the archdiocese, too expressed happiness at the good participation. “It is you who make the gathering successful,” he told the participants. Jacinta

North India Independant Pastors/Leaders Summit on 12/02/18 At Bethel Pentecostal Church Banda U.P. Entry Through Registrations Only. For More Details :lifeandhope-ministries@gmail.com

FEBRUARY 2018

INDIA NEWS Religious Radicals Launch at Least 23 Attacks during 2017 Christmas Season in India International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that at least 23 religiously-motivated attacks took place during the 2017 Christmas season, including attacks on carolers and open threats against Christian celebrations. The attacks have led to several Christians' hospitalization and imprisonment. The persecution created such fear among the Christian community that many Christians did not celebrate Christmas this year.William Stark, ICC's Regional Manager, said, "The holiday persecution experienced by Christians demonstrates the blatant disregard that the radical religious radical community has for its own constitution that guarantees freedom of religion. Religious hardliners have become bolder in recent months, demonstrating this by trying to shut down an entire holiday for a country of Christians. This has been one of the most violent Christmas seasons in recent history for India's Christians."

Dec. 30 when police showed up and told him a mob of angry religious protestors was on its way. Police in Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh state held the 70-strong mob outside the gate of St. Mary's Post Graduate College as long as they could, but the protestors managed to jump a boundary wall, and soon they surrounded Devassy at his church presbytery. Threatening and reviling him, they accused him of being anti-national for refusing to let them worship the Mother India goddess (Aarti of Bharat Mata) at the Catholic institution.India ranked 11th on Christian support organization Open Doors' 2018 World Watch List of countries where Christians experience the most persecution, up from 15th the previous year, and ahead of Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and Egypt.

Over 80 Killed in Benue State, Nigeria in January

Pastor Found Dead in Tamil Nadu, India

The body of a Pastor in southern India was found hung from the thatched roof of his house early Saturday morning (Jan. 20), a week after he complained to police about opposition from religious extremists, sources said. Congregation members said they found the body of Pastor Gideon Periyaswamy of Maknayeem Church hanging from a rope in his one-room house beside the church building in Adayachery village, Kanchipuram District, but that his knees were bent stiff, as if others had placed him in the noose after his death. He was 43. “The local fanatics were not happy with growing Christianity,” Pastor Reuben said. “They had several times tried to stop the ministry.”

Government, Police in India Thwart Threatened Attacks on Christians The Rev. ShajuDevassy was quietly attending to his work as director of a Catholic graduate college in central India on 22

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that more than 80 Christians have been killed in Benue State, Nigeria by Fulani militants since January 1. These attacks have mainly taken place in two locations within the state, Logo and Guma Counties. Logo saw more than 50 deaths in just the ﬁrst week of the New Year by Fulani attacks, while Guma suffered more than 30. These attacks took place less than two months after the state of Benue enacted an anti-open grazing bill, which prevents the Fulani from nomadically moving their cattle throughout all of Nigeria. Benue passed this law in an attempt to end the violence that has been plaguing its people, but it has failed thus far.ICC's Regional Manager, Nathan Johnson, stated, "This ongoing crisis is devastating the Christian communities of Nigeria. They are unfairly being targeted for their land and faith. The government must do more to ensure the community's safety, property, and welfare. They must put an end to the Fulani scourge and hold those in charge of these attacks accountable."

FEBRUARY 2018

These are the Top 20 Countries That are Most Dangerous for Christians The twentieth in the list being Laos, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, Egypt, Uzbekistan, Syria, Nigeria, Maldives, Saudi Arabia, India, Iran, Yemen, Iraq, Libya, Eritrea, Pakistan, Sudan, Somalia, Afghanistan, and North Korea. North Korea is a country where Christian persecution is most severe of anywhere in the world. It is the only country in the top 10 that is not Muslim.

North Korea is Worst Place for Christian Persecution, Group Says

For the 16th year in a row, North Korea tops the list of 50 countries ranked for the worst persecution of Christians in the world, according to the Christian watchdog organization Open Doors USA. A close second is Afghanistan, which jumped up one place since last year's ranking. With the exception of North Korea, all the countries that cracked the top 10 are predominantly Muslim and most are in the Middle East and Africa. “Open Doors exists to support and to advocate for persecuted Christians where ever they may be in the world,” Open Doors USA's CEO and president, David Curry, said in announcing the list in Washington on Wednesday (Jan. 10). “We are asking that the world begin to use its power and its inﬂuence to push for justice, that we would use the list to direct us where justice is needed most in the world today.”

Christian Churches 'Under Attack' Amid Turkey's Bombardment of Syrian Region

Christian churches in Syria are crying out for help and assistance amid deadly attacks by Turkish forces on Kurdish areas of the civil war ravaged nation. Churches in Afrin are calling on the international community not to ignore their plight as they face "great danger from Turkey and its jihadist alliance," which began a military campaign in the Afrin region last week on grounds that Kurdish militias pose a "security" threat. As clashes between Syrian Democratic Forces and Turkish-led forces that include allied militant factions have taken place throughout the region over the last several days, thousands of civilians have ﬂed their homes and a number have been killed as a result of the conﬂict.

Israeli Prime Minister Takes Stand for Persecuted Iranian Christians

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he stands with Christians in Iran. “We stand with you, brothers and sisters,” he said. “The world stands with you.”The supportive statement comes after Iran's foreign minister tweeted a “hypocritical” tweet days before Christmas. "A very happy and peaceful Christmas to all. May Christ's universal message of peace be embraced in the coming year,” he said. Netanyahu says, however, that the Christmas greeting is hypocritical because Iran has been ranked as one of the world's harshest persecutors of Christians. "I wonder what the Christians jailed this month in Iran would think about that tweet," he said in a taped message posted on his Facebook and Twitter pages. In Iran, house churches are considered illegal and government security raid the churches regularly. Many of the worshippers and leaders are imprisoned, while bibles are conﬁscated.

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FEBRUARY 2018

WORLD NEWS President Trump Receives 'Pro-life Person of the Year Award’

into the U.S. this past year have been Muslim, making the Christian to Muslim ratio roughly six to one. This trend appears consistent with President Trump's travel ban, which restricts refugees from six predominantly Muslim countries, including Syria, Iran, Chad, Libya, Yemen, and Somalia, as well as North Korea.

Atheist Organization Targets White House Bible Study

President Trump has been given the 2017 Pro-Life Person of the Year Malachi Award by the pro-life group Operation Rescue, reports The Christian Post. "Operation Rescue is grateful Pres. Trump for having the courage to keep promises made during the campaign that provide greater protections for the pre-born and deny Federal funds from those who commit abortions," said the group in a press release. "He has proven to be the most pro-life president we have had in modern history and has backed up his pro-life rhetoric with action like no other before him,” the group continued. They then went on to list eight of Trump's pro-life accomplishments, including appointing pro-life Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, denying public funding to abortions around the world, launching an investigation into Planned Parenthood, supporting the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, and reversing the Obama-era mandate that states fund Planned Parenthood.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is suing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development over information about a weekly cabinet bible study. The suit comes after the group had asked for Freedom of Information Act requests to agencies led by Cabinet secretaries who attend the weekly bible study. A press release says the FFRF wants to investigate how government resources are being used and if employees in the agency feel “coerced into organizing and even participating in the event.” The Bible study is for cabinet secretaries only. Employees do not attend the studies, according to CBN News.

Survey: 1 in 5 UK Nonbelievers Will Turn to Prayer in Times of Crisis

Majority of Refugees Admitted into U.S. under Trump are Christian

Over the past year under the Trump administration, the majority of refugees admitted into the U.S. have been Christian. This is a reversal of the religion of refugees who were admitted into the U.S. under President Obama. Under Obama, the majority of refugees were Muslim, but under Trump, 60 percent are Christian, reports the Washington Examiner. Additionally, only 13 percent of refugees admitted 24

Many nonbelievers reported turning to prayer in times of crisis. According to The Christian Examiner, a new survey has shown that one in five nonbelievers in the UK will turn to prayer when facing difficulty. The survey was carried out by ComRes for the Christian aid agency Tearfund. It found that half of those surveyed say they pray, including one-fifth of those who describe themselves as not religious. Some of the nonbelievers who reported praying in times of tragedy or crisis said they do so, if for nothing else than that "on the off chance that something could change.”

FEBRUARY 2018

Israeli Archaeologists Discover Ancient Artifact That Supports Biblical Record

Archaeologists in Israel have discovered a 2,700-year-old seal that supports the Bible's record of a governor ruling over the city of Jerusalem. According to TheBlaze.com, the seal is comprised of a stamped piece of clay and dates back to the period of the first Jewish temple. The coin-sized seal bears an inscription which reads “belonging to the governor of the city.” Archaeologists were able to date it to the period of the first Jewish temple because it was uncovered in soil from the first temple period. This is consistent with the biblical record which makes note of a governor ruling over Jerusalem during the first temple period.

Christians in New Zealand Rally to Reinstate Jesus' Name in Parliament Prayer Christians in New Zealand are planning to hold a rally outside the country's Parliament building to urge the speaker of the House to reinstate the name of Jesus Christ in the Parliamentary prayer after it was removed last year. "At the beginning of the new Parliament, on the ﬁrst business day, it always begins with a prayer and the name of Jesus Christ was deleted from that prayer. Many of us have made submissions to Parliament to reinstate the prayer," Pastor RasikRanchord of Abundant Life Church said in a statement on Wednesday. Christians have said they will gather on Jan. 30 in Wellington at the Parliament building, when the House sits for the ﬁrst time in the year.

Ten Commandments Monument Attracts Texas Shoppers, Not Protesters

Children Born between 1999-2015 are Most Non-Christian Generation, Study Finds

Only four of out 100 teenagers have a true biblical worldview, according to a new survey from the Barna Group. The survey, “Gen Z: The Culture, Beliefs and Motivations Shaping the Next Generation,” said that teenagers who are part of Generation Z (born from 1999 to 2015) are the most nonChristian generation in U.S. history. The survey found that more teens today identify themselves as atheist, agnostic, or not religious afﬁliated. Of those surveyed, 35 percent of Generation Z teens say they are atheist, agnostic or unafﬁliated in any religion. That number for millenials and Generation X was 30 percent in each generation. In Baby Boomers, that number was 26 percent. "Gen Z is different because they have grown up in a post-Christian, postmodern environment where many of them have not even been exposed to Christianity or to church. So that is a really unique shift," Brooke Hempell, Barna's senior vice president of research, said during the survey's rollout event in Atlanta.

Ten Commandment monuments erected in Alabama, Oklahoma and New Mexico have brought lawsuits and removals. But when an 800-pound granite tablet engraved with “Thou shalts” and “Thou shalt nots” went up in a suburban Dallas shopping mall just before New Year's, not a protester was in sight. The difference, of course, is location, location, location. The controversial tablets were originally placed on public land, while the Texas tablets are in a privately owned shopping mall. “We're not trying to make a statement or create a controversy,” Richard Morton, general manager of the Music City Mall at Vista Ridge, told Texas reporters Friday (Dec. 29) as the block was unveiled. Instead, he said, the monument reﬂects the mall owner's “belief system and he is not afraid to share it.”

FEBRUARY 2018

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