Giant 14-Story ‘Bulletproof’ Cross Is Being Built in Pakistan’s Largest City; Owner Claims Angry Muslims Incapable of Destroying This Christian Symbol

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Giant 14-Story ‘Bulletproof’ Cross Is Being Built in Pakistan’s Largest City; Owner Claims Angry Muslims Incapable of Destroying This Christian Symbol

cross

Christian Post Report – In hopes of encouraging fellow Christians to stay in Pakistan in light of religious tensions, a Christian businessman in the country’s largest city is building a giant 14-story cross outside the entrance to the largest Christian cemetery in Karachi.

Parvez Henry Gill, a devout christian who lives in Karachi, recently told The Washington Post that God came to him in a dream one night four years ago and challenged him with the divine task of finding a way to relieve Pakistani Christians from the constant fear of persecution and abuse frequently perpetrated by Pakistan’s radical Muslim community.

“I want you to do something different,” Gill remembers God telling him.

Gill admitted that he wasn’t quite sure what the best way to answer God’s call was. After many sleepless nights, he awoke one morning with the realization that he needed to build a giant cross.

“I said, ‘I am going to build a big cross, higher than any in the world, in a Muslim country,'” Gill asserted. “It will be a symbol of God, and everybody who sees this will be worry free.”

Four years later, that giant cross is nearly complete, standing at the entrance to the Gora Qabaristan Cemetery in Karachi. With the cross measuring in at 140-feet tall, the cross bar is 42 feet in length.

Parts of Gora Qabaristan Cemetery, which dates back to the British colonial era, have been disrespectfully settled upon, and many of the headstones have suffered defacement by the Muslim community, which makes up about 96 percent of the Pakistani population.

Although many Pakistani Christians, who make up a little over 1 percent of the nation’s population, have been killed, beaten, burned, wrongfully jailed and treated like second-class citizens, Gill hopes that Christians around Karachi will see the cross as a positive sign that Christianity can exist there.

“I want Christian people to see it and decide to stay here,” Gill explained.

Considering the Muslim community in Karachi will have objections to the huge, noticeable symbol of Christianity and will likely attempt to tear it down, Gill said destroying the cross will not be easy because it’s “bulletproof” and sits on a 20-foot underground base.

“Tons and tons of Iron, steel and cement,” Gill stated. “If anyone tries to hit this cross, they will not succeed.”

Gill explained that getting construction workers to build the cross was a challenge.

Upon hiring workers, Gill said he did not tell them what they were building. But when the shape of the cross became obvious, Gill said about 20 of his Muslim workers quit. However, that did not stop other Muslims from continuing to peacefully work on the cross alongside Christians.

One particular Muslim named Mohammad Ali — not to be confused with the boxing legend, Muhammad Ali —works on the cross’ construction as a volunteer for an astonishing 98 hours a week and considers it a “work of God.”

“Henry has supported me well over the years, helping with the birth of my [seven] children, with medicine, their education, so I don’t need a daily wage,” Ali told the Post.

Many of the area Christians are concerned that the cross will only further escalate religious tensions in the area and bring about more attacks against them.

Although many of Gill’s friends are concerned with his safety since they believe he has a target on his back, Gill said he doesn’t worry about the possibility that Muslims are out to get him. He leaves his safety in the hands of God, who was the one who initially called him to take action. Gill referred to Psalm 91.

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust,'” Psalm 91 reads. “Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.”

Although Gill said he wanted to build his cross higher than any other cross in the world, his structure does not top the list of the world’s tallest crosses. “The Great Cross” in St. Augustine, Florida, still holds the title for the world’s largest cross, as it stands in at 208 feet in height. Gill said that his cross will be the largest cross constructed in Asia.

When the Cross and its lighting system are finally completed later this year, Gill said he plans to hold an inaugural ceremony to honor its construction and plans to invite Pope Francis, Hillary Clinton, Queen Elizabeth and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Source : Christian Post

Remember God

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Christian Post Report – Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
— Genesis 8:20

  • Greg Laurie
    (Photo: rever Hoehne for Harvest Ministries)
    Greg Laurie, senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California and Harvest Orange County in Irvine, California, shares the Gospel with a sold-out crowd of 19,000 for Harvest America at the American Airlines Center and Victory Park in Dallas, Texas, Oct. 5, 2014.

How often we call upon the Lord in our hour of need. But then when He answers our prayer, we all too often forget about Him.

When Noah and his family finally stepped onto terra firma once again, Noah did not forget about the Lord. The first thing he did was to build an altar to the Lord and offer sacrifices. It reminds me of the ten men with leprosy who came to Jesus, asking to be healed. Jesus healed them, but only one came back to say thank you. Jesus asked, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?” (Luke 17:17).

We are often like those nine. We are quick to ask God for help, but what about when He answers? Do we give Him glory? Do we say, “Lord, thank You for the answer?” Or, do we thank our lucky stars or say it was good luck?

Noah remembered God. He called on the Lord and brought a sacrifice before Him. And we can do the same. One way is by reading the Bible before we go to sleep at night. And when we get up in the morning, we can make time for the Word of God.

Another way is by giving thanks to God before a meal. We call it saying grace. I think it’s a really great thing to see a family bowing their heads in prayer in a restaurant. What a testimony that is.

We can also remember the Lord with faithful giving. Proverbs 3:9–10 says, “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”

Noah made time in life for the things that matter. We should do the same.

Copyright © 2015 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000

Used with Permission

Source : Christian Post

Christian Rapper Lecrae Asks: ‘Do You Understand Your Value?’ in Speech to Millennials About ‘Reflecting the Glory of God’

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Christian Rapper Lecrae Asks: ‘Do You Understand Your Value?’ in Speech to Millennials About ‘Reflecting the Glory of God’

Lecrae (Photo: YouTube/screengrab)

Christian Post Report – Lecrae presented during Passion 2015 on Jan. 16, 2015.

Grammy Award-winning Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae shared his faith and belief that all of humankind is “the public manifestation of God’s glory” when he took the stage at Passion City Church’s first-ever Passion 2015 event earlier this year.

In a recently-released video from the Atlanta conference, Lecrae is seen opening up his talk with a story about Muhammad Ali before delving in to what God’s glory actually means.

“We are not supernatural people, we are not superheroes, we do not have super powers, but we’re here to reflect the one superhero,” the 36-year-old rapper emphasized before the gathering of 18-25-year-olds. “We’re here to let the world know how awesome He is, not how awesome we are.”

Lecrae went on to explain his own understanding of God’s glory as “a display of perfection, honor and fame,” as well as “the going forth of His holiness.”

He added: “When His holiness is made public, we call it glory. I think all of creation as telling the story of God’s glory. We are the public manifestation of God’s glory. When the Earth reflects His holiness, we call it glory. Creation itself derives its worth from God. We’re here solely to manifest His holiness, to demonstrate how glorious He is. Our value is wrapped up in Him,” he added when speaking at Passion 2015 in January.

As an example, Lecrae recalled shopping in Beverly Hills where he found a T-shirt priced at a staggering $640.

“What kind of gold fabric is woven into this,” the rapper jokingly thought.

After consulting a cashier about the price of the shirt, Lecrae learned that the name of the fashion designer on the product determined its value — a fact that brought about the rapper’s profound realization of his own worth as the product of God.

“Do you understand your value because of whose name is on you,” Lecrae asked the audience at Passion 2015. “Do you understand your worth and your value comes from whose name is on you? Do you understand that God’s glory is stitched in your genes? You’re here to glorify Him.”

Passion 2015 is not the only Christian conference Lecrae has attended this year. Over the past weekend, the rapper joined “Duck Dynasty” star Sadie Robertson at RUSH (Reaching Unchurched Students for Him) 2015.

Meanwhile, Lecrae’s latest album Anomaly became his first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 last summer.

More recently, the “Nothing” singer earned the 2015 Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for the song “Messengers,” which features the Christian music group for King and Country. In a recent interview just days before his Passion 2015 speech was released, Lecrae credited God for his skyrocketing career.

“I don’t accredit any of this to just my capability or talent,” Lecrae told the Christian rap website Rapzilla. “I think God is doing something far beyond my comprehension. So I don’t understand it. I don’t try to make a science out of it.”

Source : Christian Post

ISIS Caliph Baghdadi in New Audio Message: ‘Islam Was Never a Religion of Peace,’ Our Jihad Is ‘The War of All Muslims’

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ISIS Caliph Baghdadi in New Audio Message: ‘Islam Was Never a Religion of Peace,’ Our Jihad Is ‘The War of All Muslims’

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (Photo: Reuters/Social Media Website via Reuters TV)

Christian Post Report – A man purported to be the reclusive leader of the militant Islamic State Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has made what would be his first public appearance at a mosque in the center of Iraq’s second city, Mosul, according to a video recording posted on the Internet on July 5, 2014, in this still image taken from video. There had previously been reports on social media that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi would make his first public appearance since his Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant changed its name to the Islamic State and declared him caliph. The Iraqi government denied that the video, which carried Friday’s date, was credible. It was also not possible to immediately confirm the authenticity of the recording or the date when it was made.

The Islamic State terrorist organization released a new audio message on Wednesday purporting to come from the mouth of the group’s caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who asserted that Islam is not the religion of peace, but rather the religion of violence.

If it is in fact Baghdadi speaking in the message, which was posted by the group’s al-Furqan media outlet and shared by several ISIS-affiliated websites, it would mark the first time that the public has heard from Baghdadi in months, after it was reported that he was immobilized by a spinal injury resulting from shrapnel wounds from an airstrike.

The last audio message Baghdadi released was in November, which was just days after he was wounded in another airstrike. BBC reports that analysts believe that the voice in Wednesday’s audio message, entitled “March Forth Whether Light or Heavy,” sounds like Baghdadi’s but it’s still hard to verify.

“The voice on the audio recording is clear, assured and, in places, almost melodic. If it is indeed, as is claimed, the voice of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, then it will put [end] to previous rumours of his death,” BBC correspondent Frank Gardner said.

In the message, Baghdadi encouraged all Muslims to to take up arms and fight in what he labeled “the war of all of Muslims.”

“Islam was never a religion of peace. Islam is the religion of fighting,” Baghdadi stated. “No one should believe that the war that we are waging is the war of the Islamic State. It is the war of all Muslims, but the Islamic State is spearheading it. It is the war of Muslims against infidels.”

“O Muslims, go to war everywhere. It is the duty of every Muslim,” the 43-year-old jihadi leader continued.

Baghdadi’s comments echoed the thesis of a Dabiq (ISIS’ English-language magazine) article from February, which stated that “Allah has revealed Islam to be the religion of the sword.”

Although Baghdadi claims that his organization’s jihad is “the war of Muslims against infidels,” ISIS is not just killing Christians, Yazidis and other religious minorities. ISIS is also killing Muslims who don’t agree with the group’s brutality or refuse to pay allegiance to the caliphate.

Baghdadi hinted at why it is ISIS kills Muslims in his message by stating that there are no rights for anyone except those in the caliphate.

“There is no might nor honour nor safety nor rights for you except in the shade of the caliphate,” he said.

As the Saudi government has led an airstrike campaign against Shiite rebels in Yemen, Baghdadi criticized the Saudi government’s actions and said its involvement will help lead to the kingdom’s demise.

The timing of Baghdadi’s message comes one day after it was reported that ISIS’ second-in-command leader, Abu Alaa al-Afari, who was recently named the acting head of ISIS while Baghdadi recovers, was killed by a coalition airstrike.

With some debate as to whether or not Baghdadi is still alive, former CIA counter-terrorism expert, Buck Sexton, thinks Wednesday’s audio message was simply to show the world that ISIS’ leader is alive and that the coalition airstrikes did not kill both of ISIS’ top two leaders.

“This is obviously ISIS trying to say, ‘Yeah, yeah, you thought you got him but you didn’t. Keep dreaming,'” Sexton told CNN.

Source : Christian Post

ISIS Militants Are Making Millions Off of Human Smuggling Trade From Libya Into Europe, Report Finds

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ISIS Militants Are Making Millions Off of Human Smuggling Trade From Libya Into Europe, Report Finds

Migrants, boat, capsize, mediterranean (Photo: Reuters)

Christian Post Report – A boat carrying migrants in the Mediterranean, February 12, 2015.

As conditions in the Middle East and Africa are causing thousands of people to seek ways to migrate into Europe, terrorist organizations like the Islamic State are profiting handsomely off of people that are trying to flee from the chaos these groups have helped cause, a recent report has found.

According to a report released Tuesday by The Global Initiative, terrorist groups including ISIS are benefiting from the lucrative human trafficking trade that illegally smuggles boatloads of people from the Libyan coast across the Mediterranean Sea into Europe.

The report estimates that the human trafficking trade generates between $255 million and $323 million each year.

“The value of this trade dwarfs any existing trafficking and smuggling businesses in the region, and has particularly strengthened groups with a terrorist agenda, including the Islamic State,” the report states. “The brief concludes that given the level of illicit revenue it is currently possible to generate from the migrant flow, preventing Islamic State and coastal Libyan armed groups from becoming involved in or profiting from migrant smuggling should be of greater priority than attempting to cut off the long-established trans-Saharan trade routes passing through the Sahel toward Libya.”

Although Syria is not even on the same continent as Libya, the report finds that most of the migrants being trafficked through Libya are Syrian refugees looking for ways to escape from the brutality of ISIS and the constant threat posed by the country’s ongoing civil war. The report explains that Syrians are trafficked into Libya via Lebanon, Egypt or Sudan.

“Syrians account for the largest share of the migrants smuggled through Libya, though there are a rapidly growing number of sub-Saharan Africans now also migrating along these routes,” the report explains.

Now that Syrians and more Africans are looking to make it into Europe, the report explains that it provides a great opportunity for terrorist groups and criminal networks to build both their revenue and authority.

“This growing business now provides what is possibly now the largest and most easily accessible threat finance opportunity for both organized crime networks and armed groups to purchase more arms, establish larger and more regular armies, and demand taxation,” the report claims.

“Libya’s fragmentation and insecurity is having a knock-on effect across Sahel and the Maghreb and this is creating copious safe havens for terrorist groups to operate with almost complete impunity,” the report continues. “There seems to be no lack of opportunity for these groups to make alliances with, profit from or to tax the smuggling and trafficking trades perpetuated by the proliferating number of armed groups and criminal networks in the region.”

Human trafficking has starkly increased in the last four years since the death of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The report states that in 2010, only 4,500 refugees were smuggled into Europe across the Mediterranean. In 2014, that estimate reached over 170,000, with 60 percent of them coming into Europe from Libya. Out of the 170,000 migrants, over 39,000 of them were from Syria, while over 33,000 of them hailed from Eritrea.

“Forced and illegal [but voluntary] migration has risen to become one of the largest sources of income in Libya, and a wide range of groups are profiting,” the report states. “Since the Gadhafi era, militia groups in Libya have run detention centers for migrants, and continue to do so. There are numerous accounts of militia groups rounding up migrants and extorting their families for release, or selling migrants on to smugglers.”

The report explains that the smugglers tend to charge about $800 to $1,000 to smuggle a migrant into Libya, then charge about $1,500 to $1,900 to smuggle them across the Mediterranean.

“Depending on the type of boat, one crossing may include several hundred migrants,” the report states. “Once at sea, little regard is given for the migrants’ final destination, as its assumed that they will be rescued at some point along the sea crossing.”

Source : Christian Post

‘We Can Learn From Everybody;’ Study Explains Why The Global Leadership Summit for Christians is Finding Success

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‘We Can Learn From Everybody;’ Study Explains Why The Global Leadership Summit for Christians is Finding Success

Willow Creek Association (Photo: WCA)

Christian Post Report – A scene from The Global Leadership Summit in 2014.

For two decades The Global Leadership Summit (TGLS) has been a source of inspiration for leaders across the world and now the Willow Creek Association (WCA), the organization that launched the effort has compelling evidence that the event is life-changing for leaders who attend the global gathering.

Bill Hybels, the founder and senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, launched TGLS 20 years ago, through his nonprofit organization Willow Creek Association, comprised of more than 7,000 member churches from 90 denominations and 45 countries.

Now, a recent independent study conducted by Colorado Springs-based Excellence in Giving shows that participants in the TGLS event often find success when they apply the skills they acquire there.

According to the findings of the study, shared with The Christian Post, 98 percent of all business leaders who attended last year’s summit applied the team building skills they learned at TGLS and 86 percent of people who were a part of the summit agreed that their skills “increased job satisfaction and productivity.”

In 2014, more than 227,000 leaders in 798 cities and 112 countries were equipped at the Summit. And at this year’s event, which will take place August 6-7, some 260,000 people from across the world are expected to participate through multiple avenues.

Hybels believes the world needs churches, which in turn need great leaders, many of whom TGLS has helped to mold.

“The Global Leadership Summit has proven to catalyze the leader within each of us, to make us better leaders, and to unite us around a common vision,” said Hybels in a statement on the event. “We believe the local church is the hope of the world…when it is working right. For churches to reach their full redemptive potential, they must be led well.”

The WCA prayed that their summit would continue to “inspire passionate leaders toward that end,” says Hybels. And with the help of big names like former Secretary of State Colin Powell, TV producer Mark Burnett, business author, Patrick Lencioni and GOP presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, TGLS seems to have done just that.

Gary Schwammlein,WCA president and CEO, believes the diverse speakers featured at TGLS each year adds to the summit’s appeal.

“We have tremendous speakers. It’s not easy every year to get speakers that are appropriate for the wide audience that we have,” Schwammlein told The Christian Post. “To come up with that every year is [a] pretty good accomplishment. I feel very good going into the summit with the kind of speaker approvals that we have.”

This year big names like Brian Houston, the senior pastor of Australia-based Hillsong Church; Sallie Krawcheck, the former President of Bank of America’s Global Wealth & Investment Management who serves as chair of Ellevate Network; and Ed Catmull the co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios who is president of Walt Disney Animation will be speaking at the event.

Instead of only focusing on bringing church leaders to speak at a summit for Christian audiences, Schwammlein believes the two-day event has been successful because of its ability to tap different leaders from multiple industries and backgrounds.

“It is critically important and we can learn from everybody. There are great leaders in the marketplace, there are great leaders in academia there are great leaders everywhere who we can learn leadership principles from,” he told CP. “We don’t allow every leader to be a speaker if we don’t agree with their core values, but we can learn from a wide range of leaders that are working in a wide range of industries and professions.”

While some may question if they should continue to attend the same summit that has been ongoing for 20 years, Schwammlein insists it is important to be consistent in showing up.

“(Leadership) is a very tough job and it’s easy to get discouraged. It’s easy to just give up and to keep floating and say that’s good enough,” he told CP. “The summit intends to give everyone an annual injection of inspiration, passion and new skills.When you look at the study, (those numbers) alone would support the fact that you ought to go to this event year after year.”

For more information about TGLC and the study conducted concerning its attendees, click here.

Source : Christian Post

Creed’s Born-Again Singer Scott Stapp Opens Up About Psychotic Meltdown: I Thought My Family Joined ISIS, I Drove Around for a Month Chasing an Angel I Saw

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Creed’s Born-Again Singer Scott Stapp Opens Up About Psychotic Meltdown: I Thought My Family Joined ISIS, I Drove Around for a Month Chasing an Angel I Saw

Scott Stapp (Photo: Screen Grab via YouTube/ScottStappVEVO)

Christian Post Report – Art seems to imitate life in a scene from the music video for Scott Stapp’s “Slow Suicide” from his 11-track album release in 2013 called “Proof of Life”.

Scott Stapp, the born-again Christian frontman of the popular rock band Creed, has opened up about his psychotic breakdown that progressively worsened over last winter and admitted that it was brought on by drug and alcohol abuse while adding that he has also been diagnosed as bipolar.

The Grammy Award-winning 41-year-old made headlines last November when he posted a video claiming that he was broke and “under some kind of vicious attack” from family, friends and even the IRS.

He alleged that they were stealing money from his bank account and doing evil things. In the video, Stapp also explained that he was forced to sleep in his truck for weeks at a time and once didn’t have money to eat for two days.

In December, it was alleged by Stapp’s wife, Jacyln, that Stapp was claiming to be an agent with the CIA and that it was his mission to assassinate President Barack Obama. Jacyln got so concerned that she put locks on the family’s bank accounts and had Stapp admitted to a rehab facility only to have him escape two days later.

In an interview at his Florida home that was published Wednesday by People, Stapp explained that he is now in recovery and going through a 12-step program with a sponsor to deal with his prescription drug and alcohol issues.

He decided to finally get treatment after Jacyln texted him family Christmas photos as a final effort to get him to seek medical help.

“I’m lucky to be alive,” Stapp asserted. “I had a psychotic break that was brought on by alcohol and drug abuse. I was hallucinating. I drove around the United States for a month following an angel that I saw on the hood of my car.”

He further explained that he also thought that his family was taking his money and using it to support barbaric terrorist groups like the Islamic State.

“In my delusional thinking, I thought my family was involved in ISIS and that millions of dollars had been taken from me to support terrorism,” Stapp explained. “All of it was nonsense. I was out of my mind.”

Once the lead singer of hit songs such as “With Arms Wide Open” and “My Sacrifice” hit the lowest point in his life, he decided to participate in an intensive dual diagnosis program, where he was informed that drugs and alcohol were not his only issues. Doctors told him that he also has bipolar disorder, which causes individuals to emotionally go through depressive lows and manic highs.

“It was hard to process,” Stapp said. “There’s a stigma associated with it. But Jaclyn kept telling me, ‘Embrace it. We love you.’ It became a big sign of relief, because finally, we had an answer.”

Jacyln said she always knew there was another issue with her husband beyond his substance abuse.

“It made sense,” Jacyln told People. “I definitely knew there was something going on for years, but I couldn’t pinpoint what it was.”

Stapp assured that he is taking his recovery program seriously.

“Nothing is more important than my sobriety,” Stapp stated.

Jacyln says Stapp’s recovery is a testament to the family’s determination to see him get better.

“It’s definitely not giving up and keep fighting and keep the faith,” she said.

Source : Christian Post

American Christians Not Going to Iraq to Help ISIS Victims Is a ‘Black Eye in the Face of Jesus,’ Bronx Pastor Asserts (Interview)

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American Christians Not Going to Iraq to Help ISIS Victims Is a ‘Black Eye in the Face of Jesus,’ Bronx Pastor Asserts (Interview)

<b>Christian Post Report</b> – Pastor William Devlin stands in a refugee camp in Dohuk, Iraq, in this undated photo.” title=”<b>Christian Post Report</b> – Pastor William Devlin stands in a refugee camp in Dohuk, Iraq, in this undated photo.” name=”jpg” src=”http://images.christianpost.com/full/79618/pastor-william-devlin-stands-in-a-refugee-camp-in-dohuk-iraq-in-this-undated-photo.jpg” class=”imgPhoto” width=”550″ height=”450″ /> <small class=(Photo: Courtesy William Devlin)

Christian Post Report – Pastor William Devlin stands in a refugee camp in Dohuk, Iraq, in this undated photo.

WASHINGTON — As hundreds of thousands of Christians and religious minorities are living homeless in Iraq due to the rise of the Islamic State, a pastor from New York City says it is a “total embarrassment” that most American Christians are not willing to travel to the Kurdish region of Iraq to care for the persecuted.

The Rev. William Devlin, who pastors the Infinity Bible Church in South Bronx, has traveled to over 11 different countries where the persecution of Christians is rampant and in December he went to Kurdish Iraq for 11 days to provide humanitarian assistance to those displaced from their homes by ISIS.

Devlin, who’s also a registered nurse with a specialty in war trauma, told The Christian Post on Wednesday that he plans to go back to Iraq in July and hopes to recruit and even pay for other pastors to go with him.

“I always say that I am here to let you know that you are not forgotten, that the church in America has not forgotten you. But, I am one person,” Devlin said after Wednesday’s House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing on ISIS’ destruction of cultural heritage in Iraq.

“I am one pastor out of the South Bronx. But can you imagine, particularly these megachurches that have untold resources, if the pastors get out from behind their safe, bullet-proof pulpit and come with me and get others and then do something practical. Get dirt underneath your fingernails.”

Devlin asserted that Jesus specifically calls on Christians to travel to help their brothers in sisters in times of need.

“My mode of operation is going,” Devlin said. “I think it’s great that we can have congressional hearings, it is great that pastors can stand at pulpits and say look at what is happening. However, Jesus said to go. The first two letters in the word ‘God’ are ‘G-O’ and the first two letters in the word ‘Gospel’ are ‘G-O.’ So what are we waiting for?”

When asking other American and western Christians to join him on his journey to Iraq, Devlin said he was tired of hearing the typical excuse that people can’t afford to go. That is why Devlin says he’s willing to pay for pastors’ airfare to Iraq. However, Devlin says it will be the responsibility of the pastors and their churches to pay for their transportation home.

Pastor William Devlin listens to a Yazidi woman at a refuge camp in Dohuk, Iraq, in this undated photo. (Photo: Courtesy William Devlin)

Pastor William Devlin listens to a Yazidi woman at a refuge camp in Dohuk, Iraq, in this undated photo.

“My goal now is to create a flood of western people who love Jesus that are willing to go over to Iraq and to learn what is going on and to provide humanitarian assistance,” the 61-year-old added.

“My number one goal is to get over there again in a repeated fashion and bring teams with me because I think it is unconscionable that we have American Christians, European Christians sitting here wringing our hands. We need to go. We need to be, what I call, an incarnational presence with the people that are being persecuted.”

Devlin said his efforts so far have resulted in at least a couple of pastors who have expressed a willingness to travel to Iraq with him. Even though he has offered to pay for other pastors’ airfares, other pastors he has talked to still have “stuttered and stammered” at the opportunity.

“I hammer social media all the time and it is interesting, the people that want to go with me are predominantly women. They want to go. We have got a crisis of cowardly men who are unwilling to go and they say ‘I have responsibility,'” Devlin said. “Well, I have responsibilities too. I have a wife and I have five kids and three grandkids, but I am still going to go. I am hesitant to take women over there because it increases the risk for them.”

“My efforts are bearing fruit and just hope that we can continue to get the call out there because I think it is a total embarrassment, it’s a black eye in the face of Jesus that we are not going over there,” Devlin continued.

Although many people might refute Devlin’s argument by saying that it’s dangerous to send Americans into Iraq, Dr. David Marx, an emergency room physician who traveled to the Kurdish north in March, contends that Kurdish protection provides for a safer environment than what most Americans think of when it comes to safety in Iraq.

“When you say the word ‘Iraq’ people freak out. But, there are areas of Iraq and Kurdistan that are relatively safe and I have always had a place in my heart for Iraq. So, when the opportunity came up for me to go over, it was like ‘man, go,'” Marx told CP. “I felt God’s hand was over us and every day we had divine appointments. That reaffirmed my reason for being there. That’s what I want to convey is that when God opens the door and calls you to go, follow through and you will be taken care over.”

Source : Christian Post

Taliban Claims Responsibility for 14 Deaths, Including 1 American, in Latest Attack in Afghanistan

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Taliban Claims Responsibility for 14 Deaths, Including 1 American, in Latest Attack in Afghanistan

Afghanistan (Photo: Reuters/Omar Sobhani)

Christian Post Report – An Afghan policeman guards the gate of a guest house after an attack in Kabul, May 14, 2015. At least one gunman attacked the guest house popular with foreigners in Kabul on Wednesday killing at least five people, including an American and two Indians, in a bold assault that showed Afghanistan still faces security challenges.

The Taliban on Thursday claimed responsibility for an attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday that left 14 people dead, including one American.

The attack began when up to three members of the Taliban stormed a home in the Afghan capital of Kabul in an attempt to assassinate the ambassador from India.

Afghan National Security Forces who responded to the crisis rescued 54 people among an estimated 100 who were trapped inside a guesthouse.

“The attack was planned carefully to target the party in which important people and Americans were attending,” the militants said, according to Agence France-Presse.

The attack stems from long-standing tension between the Taliban and Indian government. Last year the Indian consulate was attacked by four gunmen. The year before, a bombing at the Indian consulate near the border of Pakistan left six children and three adults dead.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s special envoy for good governance, Ahmad Zia Massoud, visited the site of the massacre in Kabul and tweeted a message from the president, stating that they both “offered condolences on loss of lives due to the Kabul attack. We are one when it comes to fighting terror. President @ashrafghani expressed sadness on the unfortunate demise of Indian citizens in the attack on Kabul.”

U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Monica Cummings also shared condolences for the family of the victims with AFP.

“Our thoughts are with the families of the victims at this time,” she said. “Out of respect for the families of those killed, we have no further information at this time.”

The Taliban issued a dire warning in April threatening bloodshed and multiple attacks as they seek to regain power in Afghanistan. With a large number of U.S. and NATO troops leaving the country, it is now particularly vulnerable and prone to attacks such as the one that took place in Kabul.

“The occupying forces should realize that they are not safe from our attacks under any cover or in any location,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in an emailed statement to the press.

“For the complete liberation of our beloved homeland from the yoke of foreign occupation and for the implementation of Islamic rule throughout the country, the Islamic Emirate is determined to prolong the ongoing jihad against the foreign invaders as well as their internal stooges,” the Taliban said in April.

Source : Christian Post

‘A.D. – The Bible Continues’ Is God’s Plan for Teaching People about Jesus, Says Joel Houston

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‘A.D. – The Bible Continues’ Is God’s Plan for Teaching People about Jesus, Says Joel Houston

Hillsong (PHOTO: The Christian Post/Scott Liu)

Christian Post Report – Hillsong Press Conference 2014: Pastor Joel Houston speaks to reporters

Joel Houston, leader of Hillsong NYC and the church’s worship band Hillsong UNITED, says NBC’s “A.D. – The Bible Continues” is “God’s plan for helping people understand who Jesus is” and is expected to appear on a companion series “Beyond A.D.” this Sunday when the seventh episode of the show will be aired.

Roma Downey and Mark Burnett’s follow-up to the “Bible” returns to NBC with more from the Book of Acts in the upcoming new episode, and simultaneously, Houston will appear on the series’ companion talk show, “Beyond A.D.”

In an interview with The Christian Post prior to taping the digital talk show Tuesday, Houston explained that “A.D. – The Bible Continues” fits God’s plan for teaching people about Jesus.

“I think honestly, the culture and the world that we live in is crying out for truth and crying out for something real,” said Houston when asked why a staggering 13.1 million viewers tuned into “A.D. – The Bible Continues” during its Easter Sunday premiere.

Houston added that people are searching for more than the “appearances and distractions” that fill today’s society.

“It’s God’s plan for helping people understand who Jesus is and why to follow Him,” he continued. “There are universal aspects of searching for love, searching for value, searching for security, for freedom – all this stuff in its purest form – that’s what the Gospel [fulfills] and what the church is all about.”

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  • “A.D. – The Bible Continues.”
    (Photo: Courtesy of NBCUniversal MediaVillage)
    A photo from episode 5 of NBC’s “A.D. – The Bible Continues.”
  • "A.D. - The Bible Continues"
    (Photo: Courtesy of NBCUniversal MediaVillage)
    A photo from episode 5 of NBC’s “A.D. – The Bible Continues.”
  • Adam Levy as Peter in NBC's A.D.: The Bible Continues
    (Photo: Joe Alblas/LightWorkers Media/NBC)
    Adam Levy as Peter in NBC’s “A.D.: The Bible Continues.”
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    (Photo by: Joe Alblas/LightWorkers Media/NBC)
    A scene from the new NBC series, “A.D.: The Bible Continues,” which airs on 12 consecutive Sundays beginning Easter weekend 2015.

This Sunday, “A.D. – The Bible Continues” will feature much more about the early church according to the book of Acts, and Hillsong UNITED’s sees the series as a “living message.”

“I just think it’s phenomenal that this story gets to run on such a public platform,” said Houston. “Showing the New Testament – I’ve read those passages of Scripture my whole life, when you play it out on the screen, there are so many parallels to the world we are living in right now.”

Houston, who leads Hillsong NYC with Carl Lentz, then elaborated on the parallels between biblical times and the world today, including the persecution of Christians.

“Every aspect of the story has so much application to today’s culture- the journey that we are taking, what it means to be building a different kingdom, all the tensions that go with that,” he said. “There aren’t answers to questions right away, we are playing it out like the apostles did and disciples did, days, months, and years after Jesus died and rose again. I find it really encouraging. They were persecuted by the Romans, so we’ve got it pretty easy.”

Sunday’s episode of “A.D. – The Bible Continues” will see things get much worse for Peter as Saul’s persecution targets him personally. Some followers stay in Jerusalem, but many flee. Also, Philip the Evangelist has unexpected success in Samaria, and the Roman emperor comes to Jerusalem – an event Pilate plans to exploit. A sneak peek of Episode 7 also reveals the miraculous healing in Samaria.

“A.D. – The Bible Continues” Episode 7 will air on NBC this Sunday, May 17 at 9 p.m. ET. The encore of last week’s Episode 6 will air directly before the new installment. As for “Beyond A.D.,” Houston joined TobyMac for this week’s edition, which will be available for streaming here at 9 a.m. ET on Sunday, May 17.

Watch the preview for “A.D. – The Bible Continues” Episode 7 here.

Source : Christian Post

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