ISIS Jihadists Line Syrian Streets With Crucified Civilians Caught Eating During Muslim Holy Month of Ramadan

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ISIS Jihadists Line Syrian Streets With Crucified Civilians Caught Eating During Muslim Holy Month of Ramadan

ISIS Crucifies (Screengrab: JustPaste.It)

Christian Post Report – A masked ISIS militant reads the charges facing the two men tied to a cross, who were later shot in the back of the head for banditry, Mosul, Iraq.

Witnesses are reporting that the Islamic State terrorist organization has “crucified” dozens of citizens in the streets of the Syrian province of Deir Ezzor because they were caught eating during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan

Eyewitnesses told the Syrian news agency ARA News that eastern Syrian streets are lined with crucified victims who violated the terrorist group’s stringent religious requirement for people of all ages living in its territories to fast during the month of Ramadan, which lasts from June 17 through July 17.

“Those who break Ramadan are being crucified on electricity poles in Deir Ezzor,” a witness said. “The roads are filled with crucified men who violated the group’s strict regulations during Ramadan. There are dozens of victims who remain hanged on electricity poles across the province.”

The ARA report links to a video, which it states is published by activists and shows people being “crucified alive” in the town of Hajin.

The video, which was posted to YouTube on July 3, shows a Syrian man slowly driving his car down a main road while he passes at least nine men and boys bound to to electric poles in the median of the street. The males were placed about a block apart from each other and some of the victims have signs placed around their necks.

A couple of the crucified males look to be in their early teens. All of them were clearly still alive.

While it’s unknown whether those crucified in the video were eventually killed or allowed to live, Syrian activist Saray ad-Din told ARA News that ISIS has executed many people in the eastern Syrian cities of Deir Ezzor, al-Bukamal, Hatlah, Mayadin and Sabha.

Ad-Din added that ISIS has also instituted another form of public punishment. He said that the group has put some violators in cages that are viewable to the public in order for citizens to further witness the various ways ISIS ebarasses those who violate their strict religious laws.

“The group made many cages to lock up these ‘fasting violators’ and show them to public in order to humiliate them among people,” ad-Din explained. “The alleged caliphate of al-Baghdadi has seen various kinds of punishments during Ramadan.”

As previously reported in late June, ISIS executed and crucified two children in Mayadin on the charge that they violated the fast.

According to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the boys were caught eating. They were later killed and displayed with placards around their necks that stated “not fasting in Ramadan.”

As ISIS’ caliphate has been in existence for over a year and has enforced a very strict Islamic code, SOHR estimates that ISIS has executed over 3,027 people, including 74 kids and 86 women who were accused of committing various crimes such as eating during Ramadan, sorcery, adultery and even watching soccer.

Source : Christian Post

Spreading Good News in NYC to the Tune of $10 Million

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Spreading Good News in NYC to the Tune of $10 Million

A bus ad for NY City-Serve & City-Fest in seen in this photo published online June 29, 2015. (Photo: Luis Palau Association)

Christian Post Report – A bus ad for NY City-Serve & City-Fest in seen in this photo published online June 29, 2015.

NEW YORK — How much does it cost to show and prove that Christians care about more than just converting people but also take Jesus’ mandate to love others as themselves at face value? Well, if you’re in New York City, it apparently costs $10 million.

That’s the budget set aside (more than 90 percent of which has been raised) for The Luis Palau Association’s NY CityServe project that couples Christian evangelism with good works in an effort to build long-lasting relations between believers and their neighbors, and connect believers with other believers.

New York City is home to more than 8 million people, representing various ethnicities, languages and religious beliefs. Protestants, less than 30 percent of the city’s population, are scattered throughout the city’s five boroughs and gather over the weekend in empty school auditoriums and storefront tabernacles or in big concert halls and equally massive church buildings.

Some 1,700 churches were participating in NY CityServe, which had organized more than 100 outreach and service-oriented events across the city’s five boroughs and in locations in New Jersey and Connecticut.

“This is by the far the biggest effort in the history of the Palau team, because it’s NYC,” Kevin Palau, president of The Luis Palau Association, told The Christian Post in May.

“Thank the Lord we went into it with this idea, because NYC is this global city, it’s almost like a national city. Normally, when we go into a city we don’t charge anything for our efforts. Luis Palau doesn’t get an honorarium, none of our staff … none of us are paid for this effort,” Palau explained. “The Palau Association ends up being one of the biggest contributors to this effort. But when it comes to the direct local costs, normally the city (bears the costs). We come alongside them to help them raise the money, but the local city raises the money and it’s spent locally.”

The budget was being met through the contributions of people in the U.S. and abroad, according to Palau. He stated during the May interview that $9.2 million of the $10 million budget had been received so far and more than 10,000 people had donated.

“It’s the biggest one we’ve ever done,” he repeated.

Despite the big budget costs to facilitate service projects and outreach events, “We don’t regret it for one second,” Palau added, noting that the $10 million budget ensures that NY CityServe isn’t just “a flash in the pan,” but covers the costs of continuing the project through 2017.

Evangelist Andrew Palau on stage at NY City-Fest in the Bronx borough of New York City. This photo was published on Facebook on June 10, 2015. (Photo: Facebook/NY CityServe & CityFest)

Evangelist Andrew Palau on stage at NY City-Fest in the Bronx borough of New York City. This photo was published on Facebook on June 10, 2015.

“I think NYC is a tremendous platform for the Gospel. … There are thousands of vibrant churches, African-American, Haitian, Korean, Jamaican. You may not be aware of them, but in every neighborhood, trust me they are there shining the light of Jesus and loving their neighbor, and we just have a chance to shine a light on that,” Palau told CP.

He explained excitedly, “The whole ad campaign for NYC is called ‘Good News in the City.”

“What we mean by that is it’s good news to see unity in the midst of the most diverse Christian community in history,” he added. “There’s never been since Pentecost a more diverse Body of Christ than in the Tri-State area right now. Two hundred languages, churches that are reflective of every part of the community — wealthy, poor, every ethnicity, denomination, geographically spread out …”

Not only is it a benefit for their schools, civic organizations and everyday neighbors, but Palau described NY CityServe (also incorporating parts of New Jersey and Connecticut) as “a huge blessing” for churches that previously may have felt isolated.

Palau said that there were more than 50 regional pastors groups now meeting monthly in 10 neighborhoods spanning from Chinatown, near the tip of Manhattan, to Harlem, one of the island’s northernmost enclaves.

Palau, tasked with overhauling his father’s evangelistic events over the years, has brought a diversity of Christians and city leaders together many times before.

Instead of just descending on a city for a day or two of preaching (normally done by his father Luis Palau or brother Andrew Palau), the evangelistic celebration (CityFest) would be preceded by service projects (CityServe) to offer a tangible reminder that participating Christians want communities and souls to be transformed.

Volunteers with NY CityServe are seen in these two photos. (Photo: Luis Palau Association)

Volunteers with NY CityServe are seen in these two photos.

The catalyst for the CityServe movement, which has now been introduced in several U.S. cities, came in 2008 in Palau’s home state of Oregon, in irreligious Portland to be exact. At the time, “several Christian leaders met with Portland’s mayor to simply ask, what do you need, and how can we help?”

It’s a surprising success story (to some) that’s been well-documented over the years, by The New York Times, ABC News, PBS — and now, in Palau’s Unlikely. In his debut book, Palau gives the backstory to how Portland’s Season of Service came to be, and inspired what he calls the Festival 2.0 model (CityServe-CityFest).

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Source : Christian Post

Duggar Family Films Emotional Send-Off for Jill and Derrick Dillard Amid TLC Show Suspension (Video)

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Duggar Family Films Emotional Send-Off for Jill and Derrick Dillard Amid TLC Show Suspension (Video)

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  • Duggar family(Photo: Screenshot/YouTube)
The Duggar family bids farewell to Jill and Derrick Dillard, who moved abroad on July 5, 20Christian Post Report – 15, to work as missionaries.
  • Jill Duggar(Photo: Instagram/Jessa Seewald)
    • Jill (Duggar) Dillard and her husband, Derrick, and son, Israel David, board an airplane to embark on a long-term mission trip on July 5, 20Christian Post Report – 15.
  • Jill Duggar(Photo: Instagram/duggarfam)
    • Jill Duggar, Derick Dillard, and baby Israel.

    The Duggars have released a video of Jill and Derrick Dillard’s recent send-off as they left their home in the U.S. to serve as foreign missionaries. In the video, the family’s patriarch, Jim Bob, can be seen praying that God’s will and protection be bestowed upon the young couple as they fulfill the Great Commisson to share the Gospel with people throughout the world.

    In a clip that is reminiscent to a scene out of the Duggars’ now suspended TLC reality TV show “Christian Post Report – 19 Kids and Counting,” Jim Bob gathers the family to bid farewell to Jill, 24, and Derrick, 26, and their 2-month-old son, Israel. The pair announced recently that they are traveling abroad to set up ther ministry and share the Gospel for an extended period of time, and Jim Bob told them that he trusts that their move is a part of “God’s plan” for their family.

    “We are so excited about you guys going overseas to be missionaries and I know this is something that’s been in both of y’alls hearts for years and the Lord’s brought y’all together for the special time to go impact the work of Christ,” Jim Bob said in a video posted on the Duggar Family blog on Monday. “And we’re going to miss y’all and baby Israel, but we know that this is God’s plan for your life. … We pray God blesses your journey and that you’re really able to make a huge difference.”

    Jill and Derrick, who celebrated their one year wedding anniversary last month, departed on Sunday to an undisclosed location where they will work as missionaries. Their decision to moves comes in the wake of an explosive molestation scandal involving Jill’s older brother, Josh, that sparked public backlash and which led to the family’s hit reality TV series being suspended by TLC on May 22.

    The family said publicly that they have forgiven Josh, who was a minor when he committed the offenses, even though two of his sisters (Jill and Jessa) came forward as being among his five victims. Jim Bob alluded to this forgiveness during his send-off prayer for Jill and Derrick.

    “Father, I thank you for Derrick and Jill and little baby Israel and what you put their heart to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said.

    “How people can be forgiven for the things they’ve done wrong, and if they turn over the control to give their life to you Father, You promise You will come in and make them new creatures. … I pray that you will bless their lives and bless their ministry; protect them, lead them, guide them and make a huge difference for Your cause.”

    Jill and Derrick’s location has not been made public at this time for “security reasons,” according to the Duggar family blog.

    It is unclear whether TLC will resume the series “Christian Post Report – 19 Kids and Counting.”