Henry was a “social leper” in our church – estranged and untouchable like the lepers of Israel. He came from a lifestyle that repelled most people. His opinion of himself had been devastated by his failures, so he struggled to find some sense of worth. He cried out for love with every action, every word, every little gesture. Desperate for love, he would do virtually anything for even the smallest hint that someone cared.
It is the conviction of President Obama that the interests of America and its allies are best served by engaging, rather than isolating controversial regimes and nations such as North Korea, Cuba, Burma, and, currently, Iran. Those who support him would say that his proposed deal with Iran is the only option that will avert war. Those who disagree would say that his proposed deal ultimately speeds Iran on the road to becoming a nuclear power.
The raging debate over the proposed deal with Iran misses or downplays historical and religious realities that I would like to put before you. I want to focus on what is not being discussed by the pundits (often because of “political correctness”):
It’s all over the news: Christians discriminating and refusing services to homosexuals/lesbians. One of the more recent controversies involves a religious pediatrician who allegedly refuses to treat the baby of a lesbian couple in Michigan. You can read about it in the Washington Post.
Note: this article was written several years ago. For this reason, many of the statistics quoted are certainly outdated by now. But we believe the principles remain valid.
I’d like to begin this white paper by presenting a hypothetical situation. Suppose that I am a missionary and that I’ve been sent to a country whose population is made up of two primary segments:
the majority of people are part of the native population; and,
there is also a relatively small group of immigrants or expatriate workers.
Note: this article was written several years ago. For this reason, many of the statistics quoted are certainly outdated by now. But we believe the principles remain valid.
Today’s church is faced with a historic opportunity. The internet gives us the ability to present the gospel to untold millions of people who have never committed their lives to Christ.
Please pray for the areas surrounding these twenty rail stations: Akihabara, Shin-Okachimachi, Asakusa, Minami-Senju, Kita-Senju, Aoi, Rokucho, Yashio, Misato-chuo, Minami-Nagareyama, Nagareyama-centralpark, Nagareyama-otakanomori, Kashiwanoha-campus, Kashiwa-Tanaka, Moriya, Miraidaira, Midorino, Bampaku-kinenkoen, Kenkyu-gakuen, and Tsukuba
Pray that God would raise up church planters and send forth laborers into the harvest fields surrounding these stations (Luke 10:2-4).
Pray that God would help these church planters identify persons of peace in the areas surrounding these stations (Luke 10:5-8).
Pray that God would enable these church planters to speak the word of God with boldness in these areas (Luke 10:9b).
Pray that the proclamation of God’s word in the areas surrounding these stations would be accompanied by demonstrations of God’s compassion and power (Luke 10:9a).