DAWN Fridayfax 1998 #41

News from Israel, USA, UK and Worldwide

In this issue:
Israel: Messianic Jews' new radio programme
180,000 churches pray for the persecuted church
Israel: One speaks for many
German musician healed of arthritis in USA
England: In Herrnhut's footsteps: round-the-clock prayer initiative

Israel: Messianic Jews' new radio programme

According to unconfirmed reports, 40 Israeli Rabbis in a Jewish community have recognized Jesus as the true Messiah while studying the Torah. The event is connected with a new half-hour radio programme called "Kol HaYeshua" (Voice of Salvation) which is produced in Hebrew by Israeli messianic Jews and broadcast outside the country.

Source: Advance newsletter; Mark Kelly

180,000 churches pray for the persecuted church

Up to 180,000 Christian churches will take part in the "International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church" on 15 November 1998. The WEF (World Evangelical Fellowship) has organized prayer meetings in many countries. It is estimated that 160,000 people were killed for their belief in Jesus in 1997 alone. Most of those murdered were ex-Muslims in Islamic nations, where the fact that someone believes in "Isa" - the Islamic name for Jesus - is viewed as falling away from the true faith and is punishable by death. The WEF calls on all Christians to take part in this day of prayer, to pray for all Christians who are already in jail, asking God to use them to spread the gospel among their fellow prisoners and the prison staff.

Information material including a video is available from your nation's Evangelical Alliance UK, or in the USA via telephone (+1)-847-718-0560. See also www.persecutedchurch.org on the internet.

Israel: One speaks for many

The number of 'secret Christians' is growing all over the world. The following extracts are from an e-mail from "Mohammed" (name changed) to a Christian organisation. He represents many who do not openly admit their Christianity for fear of draconian consequences: "Hello, my name is Mohammed from Israel. From my name, you can see that I am a Muslim, but I am not really. I now know Jesus and will live as a Christian. That makes me very happy, as does my ability to simply help others. I can sense that that is what Jesus wants. I would like to be one of you Christian brothers, but I have a problem. My Muslim brothers will soon find out that I help people because I am a Christian, instead of for Islam. I cannot meet Christian pastors, because that would be my end. I know that I will die sooner or later. I want to do what is right, and don't worry about the consequences. We have theoretical religious freedom, but the law does not protect us from the anger of our own religion when we leave it. When a Muslim leaves his religion, it means execution. All these ideologies! Didn't Jesus come to free our lives from all that? I continue to believe in Jesus, even if I am externally part of Islam. God bless you!"

German musician healed of arthritis in USA

A number of phyiscal healings occurred during a seminar about revival and healing in late summer 1998 in Pensacola, Florida, with Dr. Michael Brown and Suzette Hattingh, according to one participant. The following is part of the report: "Heike Barth is a young woman from Frankfurt, who stood up one day and danced and jumped around in the church. That is not normal, because she has arthritis. She says 'I am a musician in a secular group in Germany. It is a complete miracle that I am here; I attended a 'Holy Spirit' meeting in Germany, where someone gave me money to fly to Pensacola. I had never simply been given money before. A voice inside me said 'Go directly to Pensacola', but there weren't any flights free; everything was booked solid. Finally, I miraculously got a seat. I have had arthritis since an accident when I was 17 years old. I could not run, could hardly walk, and was in constant pain. And now, following prayer, I can run around. Unbelievable!' Suzette Hattingh was a nurse and midwife before deciding to become a missionary, initially in German evangelist Reinhard Bonnke's staff. In January 1997, she started her own evangelistic ministry, 'Voice in the city'. 'There are many hindrances to Christians experiencing God's supernatural work,' she said during the seminar. 'One of them is knowledge in "the box of unbelief", our heads.'"

Source: S Hattingh and others.

England: In Herrnhut's footsteps: round-the-clock prayer initiative

'Revival Now!', a revival-oriented local church in England, previously known as the Sunderland Christian Centre, has opened a center for round-the-clock prayer. A few years ago, Ken and Lois Gott, leaders of the church, were donated a 10-storey building. Their vision was that the top floor should be used as a center of prayer for revival 24 hours each day. Jim Gott, who has carefully studied the revival around the Herrnhuter Brotherhood in the 18th Century, says that the movement also had a 24-hour prayer watch. The room in the top floor of the prayer center is equipped with maps and flags of every country in the world, to help people pray for the nations.

Source: Global Revival News. E-mail office@crown-house.com

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