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Lebanon continues to suffer a severe financial crisis, and citizens have been protesting the new government, which has strong backing of Hezbollah from Iran.

Still, the new government won a confidence vote, sparking riots. Tom Atema of Heart For Lebanon says, “They found a Christian to run for prime minister, and he said yes. But he was appointed by Hezbollah. So, he’s really a Hezbollah person. Remember, when we talk about Christians in the Near East, we’re talking cultural Christians.”

The International Monetary Fund is in Lebanon ready to give money, but Hezbollah is unwilling to receive it. Atema says, “Iran wants people to be indebted to Hezbollah and Hezbollah to be indebted to Iran.”

Atema recalls a conversation he had with a higher ranking Lebanese official, who said, “’We’ve tried everything to fix our economy and our systems, to get rid of the corruption. We’ve done all this stuff and where we ended is it a deep, dark, black hole. And there’s no hope… but I’ve come to the conclusion that we’ve had hope all along. And that’s found in Jesus Christ.’”

Atema says Lebanon is at a crossroads. On one hand, they could falter even farther and become a failed state. “Or they’re going to become a state built on biblical principles and on Jesus Christ.”

SOURCE: Mission Network News, Kevin Zeller

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Sometimes, emergencies and crises present witness and ministry opportunities that might not exist in normal circumstances.  Many people tend to be more open to spiritual matters during troubling times.  At a medical center, I asked a man if there was anything I could pray with him about.  It turned out that his wife was in surgery, and he was very receptive and appreciative of my offer.  Almost no one is opposed to being prayed for.  Prayer is a common theme in all religious traditions and a great way to connect for spiritual conversations.

The Power of Showing Appreciation

A grocery store employee was surprised and encouraged when I complimented her on the good job she was doing.  I simply told her how much we appreciated the way they arranged the products on the shelves.  That simple gesture opened up a brief conversation about the Lord.  The lady had recently moved to Houston from Detroit.  I asked her how she would describe the difference in the spiritual climate in the two cities.  That created a connection and a new relationship.  It is encouraging how one new friend can open up a whole new relational network for kingdom impact.

Prayer and Ministry Connections

My wife and I often do prayer walking in a nearby shopping mall.  Of course, it’s more than prayer, and more than walking.  We are observing people and watching for points of connection.  It’s often a comment, a question or a compliment that results in making new friends and experiencing ministry opportunities.  Many times people are more receptive than we might imagine.  During times of crises, emergencies or difficulties, people are even more open to receive prayer and words of encouragement.

SOURCE: Assist News

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A Christian member of the Finnish Parliament is facing new police investigations for citing Bible verses on social media to object to the Lutheran church’s participation in an LGBT pride event, according to a U.S.-based international law firm.

Päivi Räsänen, a Member of Parliament since 1995 and former chair of the Christian Democrat Party, wrote a tweet last year questioning the leadership of her church for sponsorship the LGBT event “Pride 2019,” accompanied by an image of a Bible text, according to Alliance Defending Freedom.

Accused of “hate speech” as a result, Räsänen was interrogated by the police at the time.

“The Prosecutor General then initiated a second, third, and fourth investigation,” ADF said. “These concerned a pamphlet that Räsänen wrote more than 16 years ago outlining the official teaching of her own church on human sexuality, a television interview, and a radio interview. Despite the police previously concluding that no crime had been committed, the Prosecutor General re-opened the file.”

The prosecutor last week opened two additional investigations about interviews she gave to a television program and a radio station.

One concerns her comments on a TV show in 2018 in which the presenter came to Räsänen’s home and stayed overnight. In the program, they discussed religious matters, including Räsänen’s personal beliefs. The fourth investigation focuses on a radio interview last year, in which Räsänen commented on the show’s topic of discussion, “What would Jesus think about homosexuals?”

Last week, the police interviewed Räsänen, who was the minister of the Interior from 2011 to 2015, during which she held responsibility for church affairs in Finland.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Anugrah Kumar

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The Global Congress of Empowered21, a worldwide gathering of Pentecostal Christians, will now take place as an online event after the Israeli government imposed a complete ban on foreign travelers due to the new coronavirus pandemic.

Empowered21 announced in a release Thursday that instead of the in-person event scheduled for the week of Pentecost 2020 in Jerusalem, Israel, they will be shifting to an online event that will stream from the campus of Oral Roberts University from May 31 to June 2.

The announcement came on the heels of a decision by Israeli authorities to shut their borders to all foreigners this week to clamp down on the spread of the new coronavirus which has infected at least 109 people in that country as of Thursday.

Israel is also limiting public events in enclosed areas to 100 people as part of their efforts to contain the new coronavirus.

“We find comfort in knowing that God is not surprised by this turn of events,” Billy Wilson, president of ORU and global co-chair for Empowered21, said in a statement Thursday. “We hold fast to our mission to see every individual on earth have an authentic encounter with Jesus through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit by Pentecost 2033. We believe that this adjustment to an online event will actually help us accelerate the mission that God has given us.”

The online event hosted by ORU is expected to begin with a live Pentecost Sunday celebration with special guests and worship teams.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Leonardo Blair

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What are we to make of the coronavirus? Is it true that God has spoken through modern-day prophets who have declared the virus will be short-lived? Should we believe the theorists who claim the virus is a man-made weapon? And on a practical level, do we follow the hyper-caution of Israel’s Netanyahu or the more laid-back approach of President Trump?

As far as prophecies go, Pastor Shawn Boltz posted this on March 3:

“The Lord showed me the end of the coronavirus. The tide is turning now!

“He is answering the prayers and cries of the nations and is putting an end in sight. The exaggerated fear based tactics of both the enemy and several media outlets for political reasons is coming to an end. The enemy has been trying to distract and steal from several equally important purposes and issues by dominating airwaves with conspiracy and fear.

“Even now several vaccines are coming out as well as a natural dying out of the virus itself. The Lord is saying ‘I am removing the threat of this.’

“Within a short amount of time the extreme threat will feel like it is in the way past.”

As of this writing, there is no end in sight to the virus, although it is allegedly under control in countries like South Korea and China.

So, if this prophecy is to prove true, there will need to be a very quick turnaround.

For example, “German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that up to 70% of the country’s population – some 58 million people – could contract the coronavirus.”

And in Italy, “Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced the closure of schools, gyms, museums, nightclubs and other venues across the country, which on Wednesday passed 10,000 confirmed infections.”

If Boltz really heard from the Lord, we should see supernatural evidence of it very soon.

As for conspiracy theories, as expected, in some circles, the Jews are being blamed for the virus. But this is to be expected. In centuries past, “the Jews” were accused of poisoning the wells, leading to the Black Plague.

Now, the Jerusalem Post reports, “Iran has pushed several reports claiming that ‘Zionists’ were behind the coronavirus. Press TV also quoted the same website that was at the center of an antisemitic article from 2017 that claimed ‘America’s Jews are driving America’s wars.’

“On March 5, Press TV claimed that ‘Zionist elements developed a deadlier strain of coronavirus against Iran.’”

So, Iran mishandles the outbreak of COVID-19, and it’s all the fault of Israel.

SOURCE: Charisma News

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