MAMA Maggie Gobran, the ‘Mother Theresa’of ‘Stephen’s Children’ – who live in the slumssurrounding the garbage dump of Cairo,addressed the 22nd National Prayer Break-fast in the Great Hall of Parliament House,Canberra, on Monday 10 November.

Several hundred very well fed and clothedAustralians from all walks of life listened withrapt attention as Mama Maggie told of herfaith and work, which she boiled down intotwo easy portions: read your Bible and goserve the poor.

A member of the Coptic Orthodox Church,which under the leadership of Pope Shen-ouda III has been undergoing spiritual renew-al, Mama Maggie emphasised over and overagain the importance of reading the Bible.

‘The Bible changed my life’, she said. ‘Weshould all read our Bibles every day, for if wecannot speak the Heavenly words, how can we conquer theenemy?’ In all her work, one priority is to put a Bible into everysmall shanty room.

‘Read your Bible every day, and then reach out and touchsomeone. The first thing that matters (in life) is that we shouldcome closer to God, and the second is that we should go outand do God’s will. Start with your own family. Then reach out toothers, especially the poor and needy.

‘When we touch the poor we are touching God Himself.When I hug them, I feel His arms around me. One day we will allstand before Jesus. We should hang on to our faith and keeptrusting becuse the King of kings is coming back to reward usand take us to His banquet forever’.Leaders’ TestimoniesSenator Ursula Stephens, President of the ParliamentaryChristian Fellowship, and MC at the Breakfast, pointed out thatKevin Rudd, the Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, Leader of theOpposition and the Liberal Party, and Warren Truss, Leader ofthe National Party, were all men of strong faith. Kevin Rudd andMalcolm Turnbull both read Lessons and Warren Truss gave histestimony as having been born and raised in a Christian homewhere family devotions, church, Sunday school, youth fellowshipwere all part of everyday life.

He reminded the gathering that things are tough in country

Australia and made the telling point that while the churches areoften among the first to criticise the withdrawal of governmentservices, they are also often among the first themselves to closesmall country churches! He spoke movingly of his love of thecreated order, saying: ‘If you can’t find God out there, you’re notvery likely to find Him in here’.Welcome GatheringA Welcome Service was held the previous evening in the GreatHall, led by Paul Neville, MHR for Hinkler and Secretary of theParliamentary Christian Fellowship. Again, several hundred gath-ered. Sussan Ley, MHR for Farrer, spoke of what her faithmeans to her: ‘My faith helps me in my search for truth. Faithkeeps me strong – not good, not humble, but strong’.

Shayne Neumann, MHR for Blair, and a member of Ipswich(Qld) Baptist Church, gave a testimony which would perhapsresonate most with readers of New Life. ‘I am a sinner saved bygrace. My Christian faith is the well-spring and source of my life’.He made it clear that his faith was not just a personal thing, butis what drives his sense of social justice and desire to help theunderprivileged and needy.

The service was also noteworthy for the hearty singing ofgreat hymns of the faith. Rev Peter Rose, Chaplain to theParliamentary Christian Fellowship led in prayer, and the RevProfessor James Haire of Charles Sturt University delivered thehomily.

AUSTRALIA’S CHRISTIAN NEWSPAPER

VOLUME 71NUMBER 11

www.nlife.com.au ‘Tell the people the full message of this new life.’ (Acts 5.20b)

Thursday 27 November 2008 $2.00 Print Post Approved No. 34918100419

A Humbling Experience In The Seat Of Power– 22nd National Prayer Breakfast

Senator Ursula Stephens, Mama Maggie Gobran, Mr Paul Nevilleand Rev Peter Rose

New WorkersINTERSERVE Australia Inc asks prayer fortheir five new workers who are settling in totheir assignments and learning new culturesand language. May the two children in thegroup be settled and happy.New AssignmentIAN and Debbie Farr are settling into theirnew life and ministry at the OMF headquar-ters in Singapore where Ian is the newInternational Director for Finance andAdministration and Debbie will be in thePersonnel Department.New DirectionsPRAY for graduating students from the vari-ous Bible Colleges around Australia as theyseek the Lord’s will for future direction fol-lowing their years of preparation forChristian service.New Testaments DedicatedPRAISE God for the almost 100 NewTestaments dedicated this year by WycliffeBible Translators. This is the result of yearsof hard and exacting work – and there aremany new translation projects that havebeen commenced.New Camping SeasonESA has announced details of their Sum-mer Camping program. Pray for leaders asthey prepare for the various camps, and forcampers as they participate in the manyactivities. For details contact ESA CountryMinistries, PO Box 34, Marysville 3779.

New ElectionsTHESE will take place next month in Coted’Ivoire where rebel forces are active. Prayfor the peace process in these weeks.New CommissionsAS part of the Commissioning 08, the Sal-vation Army will present an Onfire presenta-tion at the Melbourne Convention Centre on29 November. Between 2pm and 7pm pho-tography, art, sculpture, drama, flowerarranging and kids art will be presentedwhile, after 7pm, an Onfire concert will bethe attraction.New Facilities NeededGLOBAL Recording Network Australiaadvises their constituency of the need fornew facilities so they can continue their cur-rent ministry, along with the exciting devel-opment of the SABER – their new hand-wind audio player. Pray that such facilitieswill be found.New Find THE Sydney Anglican reports that the crewof Life of Jesus film gained rare access toan archaeological site found at Megiddo inIsrael two years ago. The mosaic floor froma 4th Century prayer hall confirms that earlyChristians worshipped Jesus as divine. ‘Theinscriptions in the mosaic floor are remark-able,’ says Dr John Dickson, the serieshost. One mentions a woman named Akep-tous who ‘offered this table in memorial ofthe God Jesus Christ’.

New Theatre AtFaith AcademyPRAISE Godthat during theconstruction of the theatre in the Philippinesover 15 workers came to the Lord and theBarracks Bible Church was born.New HopeFAR East Broadcasting Company Australiareports that free radios were handed out tothose affected by the disastrous floods inBihar State, India. Messages of comfort andhope were presented to those who hadbeen terribly affected.New People Groups Being Reached WEC has reported that a church in Coted’Ivoire is now sending out workers to moveamong unreached people groups. Four cou-ples are involved in this outreach doingdoor to door visitation and showing filmssuch as the Jesus film.New WorkerROB and June Head (SIL) report tha Junehas a new helper with developing the dic-tionary in their area of PNG. She is helpingclarify the meanings of words.New SchoolGLOBAL Interaction reports that two of theirworkers recently returned to Central Asiaand hope to commence a new school tohelp primary age children. Pray they'll beable to find a suitable house in which tomake this a reality.

HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE WITH THE WILSONS

Page Two – 27 November 2008 – NEW LIFE

ON Sunday 26 October, the Sunday Schoolchildren of Padstow Chinese Congregation-al Church, NSW, presented their Samari-tan’s Purse Operation Christmas Childshoeboxes for dedication and blessingbefore they were transported to theSamaritan’s Purse warehouse in Sydney.This is an annual event in the life of theSunday School and the whole church. Thecongregation joined in celebrating theefforts of the children, their families and theSunday School teachers.

The children first visited the EnglishService as they do twice a month, where itwas a case of ‘standing room only’. After awonderful children’s talk and a presentationabout their shoebox preparation, the chil-dren performed a special musical item thatwas greatly appreciated by the congrega-tion.

Later, just before the conclusion of theMandarin Service, they filed into the mainsanctuary carrying their shoeboxes, 69 intotal, lovingly filled with gifts for poor chil-dren in other parts of the world. Once againthere was a presentation about Samaritan’sPurse and the children’s musical item, fol-lowed by a prayer of dedication, asking Godthat He will touch many lives as the shoe-boxes are distributed in His name thisChristmas.

Operation Christmas Child Takes On AtPadstow Chinese FCC

Getting ready for the dedication.

CHANGE OF WORSHIPVENUEPRESBYTERIAN REFORMEDCHURCH MELBOURNE advises that we have changed our placeof worship from:Laburnum Primary School TO NUNAWADING PRIMARY SCHOOL104 Springvale Rd Nunawading(Between Luckie & Esdale Sts)Melway Map 48 Ref. F8Service each Sunday @ 10.30am preceded by prayer @ 9.45amEnquiries phone: Rev Graeme Hulls, (03) 9876 5346,or Mr Barry Gregor, (03) 9877 4006.

Hear ‘Amazing Grace’ 98.1 Eastern FM, each Sunday 7amFor more information visit our website:www.prc.org.auPresbyterian Reformed ChurchMelbourne Inc (A0049333Z)

NEW LIFE – 27 November 2008 – Page Three

Two Believers DenyIranian Court ClaimsOf RenunciationTWO Iranian church leaders, recentlyacquitted of apostasy charges, learnedtheir release was based on the falseclaim that they denied their Christian faithin court. But both men say they openlyprofessed their faith during the trial.

Todd Nettleton, with Voice of theMartyrs, thinks there's more to the story.‘This case shows a situation where inter-national pressure is being brought tobear, and it is making a difference. Theydid not want an international outcry. Theydid not want a “black eye” on their humanrights record, and so I suspect that thisjudge was told: “Make this case goaway”, and he did’.

Meanwhile, the Iranian Parliament isdiscussing the death penalty for apostasy.That could be a direct response to effec-tive ministry, says Nettleton. ‘The churchis growing at simply an amazing rate.That is a part of the reason the govern-ment is so nervous about the Christians.That is part of the reason they're strikingback and changing laws. That alsomeans more people potentially face per-secution; more people need our prayers’.

‘WATCH AND PRAY’

TURK-7 is an exciting Christian televisionchannel broadcasting quality programmingto Turkish-speaking people worldwide.

TURK-7's Michael Glenn says it's agood fit because the Turkish people arehungry for media. ‘They’re second only tothe United States in the number of televi-sion channels. So they draw in this stuff inan eager way. Half the population is underthe age of 30. They're more media savvy,more in-tune to this kind of thing. Right now,we're doing four hours a day of broadcast-ing, and our goal is that within two and ahalf years, we can go 24/7, pumping thatGospel in’.

At present, they're able to beam theirsignal to 70 million viewers in the Republicof Turkey, plus another ten million otherTurks in Europe, Central Asia and theMiddle East. In addition, TURK-7's webstreaming service makes the channel avail-able to viewers throughout the world.

In an area that was nearly 25% Christiana century ago, the population of believersnow falls under 1%. Despite changes madeto facilitate joining the European Union,there is no indication of increasing religiousfreedom.

While the Turkish constitution includesfreedom of religion, worship services areonly permitted in ‘buildings created for thispurpose’, and officials have restricted theconstruction of buildings for minority reli-gions.

Evangelism is difficult, so working aloneisn't practical. Because they've partneredwith 30 organizations and churches, they'reable to do much more in scope.

The programs being broadcast give aChristian point of view on a variety of topicsusing different program formats includingdocumentaries, dramas, children's anima-tions and teaching.‘In His Time’Although not without its risks, Glenn saysthey're helping to rebuild the body of Christ.‘The foot is in the door, and I think they'reeager to receive more. I just think it's God'stime. He's putting a beacon on an area thatwas foundational and the birthplace of somuch of our civilization of the world. It'sincredible’.

Pray for opportunities for Christians inTurkey to share the truth of who Jesus iswith those around them.

– Mission Network News

Christian Satellite TelevisionSees Growth In Turkey

New LifeNew Life – Let us build you up in your most holy faith –SUBSCRIBE TODAY!SUBSCRIBE TODAY!SUBSCRIPTION:$50pa $25 six months$45pa (student/pensioner/full time Christian worker)$25pa (email version)

EMAIL:office@nlife.com.aueditor@nlife.com.au

PHONE:(03) 9890 3377

POST:PO Box 457Mitcham Vic 3132

VISIT:56 Rutland Rd,Box Hill Vic 3128

CONTACT US NOW!

Christian Radio Sparks Taxi ConversationKOREAN taxi drivers are successfully reaching passengers through the radio programsof the Far East Broadcasting Company.

The FEBC Missionary Taxi Club has been meeting for 25 years and is committed toplaying FEBC broadcasts night and day while driving.

The group's president recently invited a passenger to his church after she commentedon a song that caught her attention.

Pray that God would use this ministry to draw people to Himself in South Korea.

Donations To‘New Life’

Are Always WelcomeAnd Help Us To

Continue And ExtendOur Ministry

A Frightening ProspectA REPORT from London is frightening in itspotential implications. It states: ‘Scientistshave created the clone of a mouse that hadbeen dead and frozen for 16 years. It is thefirst time they have been able to clone afrozen animal.’

It is not surprising that some research-ers are saying that this will benefit mankind,because extinct animals such as the woollymammoth could come back to life. Otherssee dangers, and the statement is madethat ‘ethical watchdogs branded the experi-ment disturbing. Critics say it brings theworld closer to the day when people try toclone long-dead relatives stored in cryo-preservation clinics.’

We are further told that ‘it could evenlead to a macabre industry in which peopleleave behind relics of their bodies in freez-ers in the hope they could one day becloned.’ In any case, if the cloning of ahuman becomes possible, it would meanthat an already existing life form existed andthat the new person so created would notbe the same one who had died. Put simplyit would be somewhat similar to the situa-tion of identical twins. One of our friendswho was an identical twin recently died in atraffic accident. His brother is very activeindeed and certainly did not die when hisidentical twin brother was tragically killed.

The Scriptures teach quite plainly that itis appointed to men once to die, and afterthat the judgment. The possibilities of deadrelatives and others being utilized in thisway is certainly not all good news! TheChristian’s hope is indeed for a new life thatwill be in a new uncorrupted body which isno longer showing the effects of sin and thefall of man.Punch-Up At Christ’s TombTHE claim that our Lord’s tomb is in theChurch of the Holy Sepulchre outside thewalls of Jerusalem can at least be seriouslychallenged. However, it is interesting tonotice that two clergymen were arrestedafter an argument between the monkserupted into a public brawl.

Armenian clergymen were involved in anannual procession that supposedly com-memorated the 4th Century discovery of thecross on which Jesus had been crucified. Itis commonly stated that there are dozens ofthese crosses now found, and gullibletourists have paid a good price for frag-ments of them. Six Christian sects divide

control of the ‘ancient’ church, and they reg-ularly fight over their separate rights.

An Armenian priest is reported as statingthat the Greek Orthodox monks initiated thebrawl by making a demand that was‘against the status quo arrangement andagainst the internal arrangement of the HolySepulchre.’ A number of priests becameactively engaged.This unfortunate incidentis certainly not according to the spirit of Himwho prayed from the cross that His enemieswould be forgiven.New Discoveries From The DeepTHOUSANDS of previously unknownspecies have been discovered by marinebiologists in various areas from the UnitedStates, to Japan, to the Arctic and to theAntarctic, in an ambitious plan to record andname every living thing in the seas. We aretold that: ‘In the past year alone the teamhas identified 1,000 new plants and animalsand shed light on the behaviour of hundredsof species.’

The project involves over 2,000 scientistsfrom 82 nations and has been processinginformation for over seven years. They haverecorded 120,000 species but there couldbe as many as 250,000. Details are given ofmany other recovered species. Meanwhilegeologists tell us that there are about 5,000species at the first level of Earth’s Cambrianstrata, without precursors. We are told theyall appear suddenly, and that there is nosign of intermediate forms.

With the modern arguments for design,the more we study, the more we are im-pressed that fantastic facts about early lifecannot be explained unless we believe byfaith in the one true God, the Creator ofHeaven and Earth, who spoke and broughtthese creatures into immediate life. Date Of Man’s First Appearance On EarthDR James J E Johnson happens to be apersonal friend of mine and I was verypleased to read an article just publishedthat has the sub-heading ‘Applying SimpleMath To Data Provided In Genesis.’

Dr Johnson is a United States judge – Imention that to make the point that he is avery intelligent man who is highly respectedas a man of integrity and intellectual capaci-ty. He has come up with an article that Ipersonally have considered relevant over aconsiderable number of years.

He takes 19 ages that are given fromGenesis 5.3 to Genesis 11.26. A major pointof his argument is that even if you think in

terms of miss-ing years inbetween thefather/son relationships that are given inthese 19 places, it makes no difference tothe time span from the time of Adam to thebirth of Abraham. To use his own words,‘Some people assume that the historicalevents related in the early chapters ofGenesis cannot be precisely dated be-cause we cannot be certain whether thegenealogical lists are complete (“closed”) orwhether they skip generations and havegaps (and are thus “open”).

‘The issue is irrelevant because the timeframes given in Genesis are measured bythe number of years between one eventand another event regardless of how manygenerations occurred between those “book-end” events’. The total number of yearsfrom Adam to Abraham is between 1,948and 1,985, recognizing that we don’t knowhow much of a year is included by theexpression ‘In the year’ – was it half ormaybe the whole year?

He writes: ‘For example, Genesis 5.3states Adam was 130 years old when Sethwas “begotten”. How old was Adam whenhe begot Seth? Adam was 130. Does itmatter whether Seth was Adam’s son,grandson, great grandson, or an even laterdescendant? No. The answer is the same:130. Seth’s exact relationship to Adam isirrelevant because the time frame is meas-ured in how many years elapsed from oneevent (God creating Adam) to another event(Seth being begotten) – regardless of howmany generations may have occurredbetween Adam and Seth.’

I often lecture about the reliability ofScripture. At times I am asked if archaeolo-gy proves every historical fact of the Bible.My answer is that there are thousands ofsuch facts and it would be foolish to claimthat they had all been proved by archaeolo-gy or ancient history. However, I can saythat I personally know of hundreds of factswhere archaeology has stood the test ofinvestigation by reputable scholars. At notone point can it be said: ‘Here archaeologyshows that the Bible was wrong.’

At times we are not sure what the propertranslation is, but where the facts are estab-lished, the Bible is amazingly accurate. Ihave found that to be true in about 60 yearsof research in archaeology and ancient his-tory.

CURRENT COMMENT – CLIFFORD WILSON

Page Four – 27 November 2008 – NEW LIFE

VOLUME 71NUMBER 1127 November 2008ISSN: 1033-7903

FOUNDER:Eric J. Daley (1910-1992)

EDITORIAL TEAM:Rev Dr Bob ThomasDr Clifford WilsonDr Barbara Wilson

EMAIL:office@nlife.com.aueditor@nlife.com.auPHONE:(03) 9890 3377FAX:(03) 9897 4561POST:PO Box 457Mitcham VIC 3132REGISTERED OFFICE:CBM Building,56 Rutland Rd,Box Hill VIC 3128WEB-SITE:www.nlife.com.au

SUBSCRIPTION:$50pa ($25 half year)$45pa (student/

pensioner/f/t Christian worker)$25pa (email version)

Your subscriptioncontinuesuntil you cancel.

ACCEPTANCE OFADVERTISINGDOES NOT IMPLYENDORSEMENT

NEW LIFE – 27 November 2008 – Page Five

AUSTRALIA’S CHRISTIAN NEWSPAPER

Published by New Life Australia. LtdABN 15 005 035 138, of 56 RutlandRd, Box Hill Vic 3129, and printed byNewsprinters Pty Ltd, Melbourne Rd,Shepparton Vic 3630. (All letters toNew Life please).

There’s Nothing Like Seeing It For Yourself;But How The Mighty Are Fallen!MAYBE it’s because I’m a Thomas (remember – he wouldn’t believe unless he saw),but although my faith is strong, I must say that to see pointers to Christianity’s past is agreat help to being anchored in what is, let’s face it, a historical religion, and confirmedin our faith, not only in the reliability of the Biblical record but also in the events of sub-sequent church history.Some of the highlights of the journey so far are these:� To stand outside the Central Alexandria Evangelical Church in Egypt and look up theroad at the site of Athansius’ Cathedral, though sadly now it is the Attarine Mosque.� To visit the Monastery of St Catherine, where Codex Sinaiticus and other early man-uscripts of the Scripture were preserved, at the foot of Mount Sinai where Mosesreceived the Ten Commandments, but today the monastery seems more intent on pre-serving all that is worst in Greek Orthodoxy.� To stand in St Mary Woolnoth Church, London, where John Newton once ministeredso effectively, only to find that it is a ‘Guild Church’, a place of historical interest, butSunday services are no longer held there.� To visit Wesley’s Chapel in London and stand in his pulpit, but to find that the pres-ent-day keepers of this former powerhouse of Methodism are only interested in socialaction rather than the conversion of souls so dear to the heart of John Wesley and sim-ply memorialised in ‘The Museum Of Methodism’ beneath the chapel.� To worship at the Metropolitan (Spurgeon’s) Tabernacle, where Spurgeon’s latestsuccessor, Dr Peter Masters exercises such a faithful ministry – praise the Lord!� To visit the Primitive Methodist Chapel in Artillery Rd, Colchester, where Spurgeonwas converted, and to learn that a small but devout band of worshippers keep up thetestimony in what is now the Spurgeon Memorial Chapel.� To stand beneath the statue of David Livingstone overlooking Victoria Falls and tospend brief periods of ministry following in his footsteps around Zambia and Malawi,two countries in which this pioneer missionary and enemy of the slave trade is stillrevered, and where Gospel light is shining in what Livingstone knew as ‘Darkest Africa’.

What an inspiration it is to find that what we have read in our textbooks can comealive for us as we see it through our own eyes, and to be persuaded that if this much isverifiable, then faith has more substance to it than most people are prepared to allow.

Yet what a challenge this is to us – to pray that the Lord’s work will continue in suc-ceeding generations because we stand faithful in ours.

‘May the favour of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our handsfor us – yes, establish the work of our hands’. (Psalm 90.17, NIV)

– Bob Thomas

Page Six – 27 November 2008 – NEW LIFE

THE 2008 Taipei Franklin GrahamFestival was held at the LibertyInternational Convention Centre inTaipei from 30 October to 2November.

Festival organizers estimate thatover 700 churches and 180,000 par-ticipants attended the four-dayevent. Organizers also say that over10,000 individuals gave their lives toChrist. The last session was held ona Sunday afternoon and manychurches arranged tour buses totransport guests from Tao-yuan,Hsin-Chu, Tainan, I-Lan to thevenue in Taipei.

Approximately 1,000 believers fromchurches across Taiwan attended a prayermeeting hosted by event organizers thenight before the Festival began. The two-hour meeting was filled with prayers for theFestival. The two speakers at the prayermeeting were Pastor Chou Shen-chu (chairof the Festival and senior pastor of Bread ofLife Church, Taipei) and Pastor AndrewChang (General Secretary of the Presby-terian Church in Taiwan). These two leadersrepresent very different denominations andtheir joint appearance projected a strongsense of unity among churches as everyoneworked hard to reach the lost through theFestival.

Pastor Chou said: ‘When we unite asone, the whole world will know that Jesus isthe One God has sent’. He also said that hehad sensed church unity through the prayermeeting and that unity created joy. Hence,there would be a lot of joy and celebrationat the venue during the Festival. ‘People willsee joy and believe in Jesus!’ he exulted.

Pastor Andrew Chang reminded Chris-tians that they all had a role in bringingGod’s blessing to Taiwan. He encouragedpeople from all denominations to give anoffering and partner with the Holy Spirit dur-ing the festival. God would surely bringpeace and blessings to all believers andpeople would be blessed through them.Chang also commented that he was deeplydisturbed that Taiwanese people had foughtso hard for their economy at the expense oftheir spirituality. Many people in this landwere empty inside; hence, he urged Chris-tians to assume their responsibility by part-nering with God in blessing this land.

Bringing God’s Word to the PresidentThree hours before events were set to be-gin on 30 October, Franklin Graham,accompanied by BGEA Asia regional direc-tor Henry Holly, Taiwan Committee directorChad Hammond, Pastor Chou, PastorChang and other leaders of the Festival vis-ited President Ma Ying-jeou at the Presiden-tial Office in Taipei. Ma extended a warmwelcome to Franklin Graham and ex-pressed confidence that the Festival wouldrestore hope and calmness in the heart ofthe Taiwanese people affected by the globalfinancial crisis. He also invited Graham tovisit Taiwan often and encourage believershere.Repentance and Rebirth PromotedDuring the Festival, arts played a prominentrole in attracting people’s attention. ManyChristian artists gave presentations duringthe evening sessions. Franklin Graham firstdirected his message to believers, urgingthem to be reborn. Graham said that manybelievers were outwardly religious – loyal totheir denominations and performing theirduties impeccably. However, these actscould not save them and those who be-lieved otherwise were misguided. He em-phasized that his altar call applied to believ-ers too and encouraged them to come for-ward and be reborn.

Franklin Graham emphasized thathumans will inevitably sin. Humans will lie,steal, commit adultery, worship idols, orbreak their marital vows at one point oranother in life. He also admitted that his lifeused to be just as chaotic as everyoneelse’s life and he had also pondered onwhether he would go to heaven after death.

His eyes shone as he wrapped up hissermon with an altar call that captivated thecrowd: ‘Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth,and the life”. I want to invite you to comeforward. Tonight is your night to repent andturn to God. Jesus said: “The old things aregone, everything is made new.” How is itpossible for old things to become new? Theanswer is that God so loved the world thatHe gave His only Son to die on the cross.Everything is possible with God’.

Graham concluded his message by ask-ing those who were not sure if they weresaved to come forward so that people couldpray for them. He also offered them a book-let along with a Bible.Young People RespondOne of the four sessions at the festival wasdirected at youth. The gathering on 1 Nov-ember was designed with young people inmind. Pastors who were in charge of coun-selling new believers commented thatyoung people were the easiest to reachbecause their hearts were open and theyhad courage to voice their doubts. In gener-al, young people also had fewer questionsabout putting their faith in Jesus.

A counsellor at the Festival noted thateven though the Festival mainly targetednon-believers, he counselled mostly churchyouths who had come forward during thealtar calls. Seeing so many of them comeforward and commit their lives to Christ wasexhilarating nonetheless.

– Chiou Kuo-rong and Lydia Ma,Taiwan Church News

FESTIVAL OF FAITH IN TAIWAN ...

Over 10,000 Accept Christ At 2008 Taipei Franklin Graham Festival

COMING TO

WESTERN

AUSTRALIA?Come to Scots ChurchFremantle, 90 South Terrace

(next to Fremantle Markets)

Reformed and Evangelical

10am and 5pm Sundays

12:30 pm Wednesday

Lunch Time Worship

Rev Stuart Bonnington

(08) 9398 1304

melbonn@bigpond.com

NEW LIFE – 27 November 2008 – Page Seven

‘THE Hands for Hope project is in direct linewith our priorities as a government’, said DrCharles Murigande, Minister for Cabinet inthe Office of the Prime Minister of Rwanda,who was the keynote speaker at the ‘Handsfor Hope’ dinner held in Sydney’s WestinHotel on 7 November.

Organised by Bible Society NSW, over300 supporters, donors, and friends weretreated to an African themed night completewith African singers and dancers. The even-ing was compered by Anna Coren, formerhost of Channel Seven’s Today Tonight cur-rent affairs program.

Interviewed by Bible Society CEO, DrMurigande spoke of his own experiences in1994, when his country was plunged intogenocide.

‘Imagine three September 11th-typeattacks every day for 100 days – that’s whathappened in Rwanda, and the world did notreact’, he said. ‘When the violence eruptedin Rwanda I was studying at Howard Uni-versity in Washington DC with my family.

‘When we saw what was happening toour country, my wife took a courageousdecision to return to Rwanda to see if shecould help the children whom she knewwould be affected by the war. When theInterahamwe Hutu militia carried out theirmassacres, sometimes children would beleft alive under a pile of bodies. It was thesechildren my wife would rescue and care for’,said Dr Murigande.

‘When the Rwandan Patriotic Frontcalled for Rwandans living overseas tocome home and help rebuild our country,my wife called me and said we had no busi-ness living in Washington. We decided tocome home as a family and suffer with thepeople’, he said.

‘I knew times would be tough, but I wenthome to serve my people. When I arrived Ifound a desolate land – no water, power orcommunications. Anger and pain were visi-ble on every face. Some people said thatRwanda could never again be one country,so why not divide it into Hutu and Tutsiregions, but we have a long history of livingtogether and so we worked hard to onceagain become a great nation’, said DrMurigande.

When asked about the Hands for Hopeproject, which has been running in some ofthe country’s primary schools, Dr Murigandewas very supportive.

‘The Hands for Hope project is in directline with our priorities as a government’, hesaid. ‘In rebuilding our country we need todeal with issues of unity and reconciliation.The government can’t do this alone; churchand civil society need to be organized tohelp this process’, said Dr Murigande.

‘Hands for Hope is making an impact byaddressing these issues with the next gen-eration. The government has programs thatenable adults to discuss the issues, but

there has been a lack of programsmade for children’, Dr Murigandesaid.

Dr Murigande said the Handsfor Hope project has three benefits:

‘First it teaches children to read,write and communicate. Secondly itteaches them the values of theBible. Thirdly, it involves the chil-dren’s parents as they go homeand talk about it. Local leaders arehearing the message from the chil-dren – this is making a difference’,said Dr Murigande.

The Hands for Hope project,developed in association with AfricanEnterprise, uses printed and audio-visualeducation materials that focus on forgive-ness, justice and reconciliation. BibleSociety is working to educate over 2.2 mil-lion Rwandan children over six years of agethrough the project over the next threeyears. For more information, visitwww.biblesocietynsw.com.au

HANDS FOR HOPE REACH OUT ...

Rwandan Government Minister Endorses HandsFor Hope Project At Gala Fund Raising Dinner

Rwandan dancer

Dan Willis interviews Dr Murigande.

New Life Now Available ElectronicallyFOR over 70 years, New Life has come to subscribers and readers through the post or Christianbook shops, but we can now offer an alternative way of receiving New Life – by email. The emailedition contains an additional four pages of news and views we canʼt fit into the print edition, sub-scribers receive it a few days ahead of the print edition, and it costs half the price!TO SUBSCRIBE to the email edition, contact Alison on (03) 9890 3377 or email her atalison@nlife.com.au

Page Eight – 27 November 2008 – NEW LIFE

GOOD NEWS WEEK ...

IN Yemen a group of people meet in secretto worship, whispering their songs of praise.To worship openly would lead to discrimina-tion, imprisonment and even death.

A 19-year-old university student fromYemen who has access to Christian teach-ing through the radio and Internet ministriesof Back to God Ministries International, themulti-media outreach of the Christian Re-formed Church, writes of the risks shefaces: ‘My brother knows that I believe inJesus' Gospel, but he tells me that myfather will kill me if he finds out. I don't knowwhat to do’.

Voice of the Martyrs reports that Chris-tians in at least 35 countries face thesesame risks because of their active witnessfor Jesus Christ. And the list of countriescontinues to grow. According to a report byChristian Solidarity International, moreChristians died for their faith in the 20thCentury than at any other time in history.

Prayer is crucial for people like this girlin Yemen, even as they face persecution,hence the call for 9 and 16 November to bethe International Day of Prayer for the Per-secuted Church, when Christians joined inprayer for Christians around the world whodaily live under the threat of persecution.

One of the answers to prayer is the wayin which God brings direct encouragementto these brothers and sisters through Chris-tian media outreach. Back to God MinistriesInternational, the media ministry of theChristian Reformed Church, broadcasts inat least 190 countries, including 32 of the35 where oppression is the most severe.

‘Through the strategic use of media, wecan effectively deliver encouragement tothose who so desperately need to hearGod's Word’, says Rev Bob Heerspink,Director of Back to God Ministries Inter-national.

‘Christians experiencing persecution, likeall believers, need the fellowship of theChristian community. Isolated believersoften find media the sole means to connectwith the broader church. Our indigenousministry teams are addressing what itmeans to live as Jesus' disciples in placeswhere following Christ is costly’.

– Worldwide Faith News

Ministry Prays Over ArabicScripture ProjectOVER 280 million people use some form ofArabic as their first language. In thesecountries, Islam, the major religion, oftenopposes Christianity. That limits evangel-ism, but the World Bible Translation Centreis partnering with the Digital Bible Society toreach the Arabic-speaking world with theGospel.

WBTC's John Andersen explains: ‘Youmay have a seeker who doesn't knowJesus, but they're not going to take a Bibleor a portion of Scripture from you for fear ofbeing seen by their family and friends. ACD-ROM is much less obtrusive. We'rehoping that by taking these from those whoare willing to distribute them, people willcome to know Jesus and then become boldbelievers’.

The project will provide over 200 addi-tional Bible resource materials to theArabic-speaking people. The Arabic CD-ROM began about three weeks ago, andthey are hoping to have it out within thenext six months.

ON Thursday 6 November, millions of Bra-zilians across the country gathered arounda television during prime time to watch oneof the world’s greatest athletes – but theydidn't see a sporting event.

The Brazilian soccer superstar Kakáshared his testimony of hope and faith inJesus Christ during the first night of one ofthe largest Christian evangelistic effortsever, Minha Esperança – or My Hope Bra-zil, a ministry of the Billy GrahamEvangelistic Association. The highly antici-pated broadcast dates for My Hope Brazilwere Thursday through Saturday, 6-8November.

My Hope Brazil was an effort driven bylocal Christians to reach their communitywith the message of God’s love through tel-evision programming and their own testi-monies. Those involved in the outreach,called ‘Matthews’, recalling the disciple whoinvited friends to his home to meet Jesus(Matthew 9), invited neighbours, relativesand friends to their homes to watch the pro-grams and hear the message of hope. Afterviewing the program, the ‘Matthews’ wereencouraged to share their personal testi-monies and then invite those present toaccept or rededicate their lives to Jesus.

The scale of the outreach during thethree-day period was massive: more than48,000 churches and more than 850,000homes across South America’s largestcountry were said to have participated inthe program.

‘My Hope Brazil is one of the most excit-ing projects BGEA has had the privilege offacilitating’, said Bill Conard, vice presidentof international ministries at BGEA. ‘Thechurches in Brazil have put an enormousamount of time and energy into reachingtheir loved ones with the Gospel of JesusChrist, and we expect God to do powerfulthings through their faithful efforts’.

The first night of programming, Thurs-day, 6 November, included Kaká’s testimo-ny, along with a message from Billy Grahamdubbed into Portuguese and music fromBrazilian singer Aline Barros. The secondnight featured a message from FranklinGraham, president and CEO of BGEA, aswell as other testimonies and music fromsinger Paulo Baruk. The BGEA evangelisticfilm A Vow to Cherish, transmitted withoutcommercial breaks, closed the program-ming on Saturday, 8 November.

BGEA’s next My Hope project will takeplace in Singapore, 12-14 December.

Christian Reformed Church Helps Those Dying For Their Faith

Brazilian Churches Conduct One Of History’sLargest Christian Evangelistic Efforts

FOOTNOTE: I visited Yemen in 2007 and was quite taken aback to turn onthe radio and hear the Spiritual Song: ‘He is LORD!’ sung in Arabic thenEnglish, followed by a Gospel message, again in Arabic then English.Friends told me that it was probably TWR, who report a large listenerresponse from Yemen. Indeed, ‘He is LORD!’ – Ed

NEW LIFE – 27 November 2008 – Page Nine

BREAKPOINT:

Copyright (c) 2008 Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with permission. ‘Breakpoint With Chuck Colson’ is aradio ministry of Prison Fellowship Ministries. Prison Fellowship Australia National Office, PO Box 579, Eltham Vic3095; Phone: (03) 9431 3877; Fax: (03) 9431 3830; email: pfaus@vicnet.net.au

Charles Colson

For five years I’ve been telling BreakPointreaders about the plight of Iraqi Christians.One of the oldest Christian communities inthe world, one that prays in Aramaic just asour Lord did, has become the preferred tar-get of all three of Iraq’s Muslim communi-ties.

Well, their situation has become evenmore dire, and they are even more in needof our help.

The past few weeks have seen an esca-lated campaign of terror and exterminationdirected at Christians in the city of Mosul. Inone week alone, more than 3,000 Christiansfled the city and sought refuge in ‘churches,monasteries and the homes of relatives innearby Christian villages and towns’.

What Archbishop Louis Sako called ‘thecampaign of killings and deportations’comes along with the all-too-regular ‘abduc-tion attempts for paid ransom’ directed atChristians.

In just two weeks in October, at least 14Christians were killed in Mosul as part of a‘major displacement’ orchestrated by alQaeda in Iraq.

The killings came after leaflets were dis-tributed in Christian neighbourhoods tellingChristians to ‘either convert to Islam ... paya tax levied on non-Muslims for protection... leave the city – or face death ...’

In a classic case of blaming the victim,CNN implied that Mosul’s Christians weresomehow to blame for their own predica-ment. CNN reported that the ‘attacks mayhave been prompted by Christian demon-strations’. And what were they demonstrat-ing for? ‘Greater representation on provin-cial councils’.

The nerve! Who do they think they are?Well, their cries were heard. Leaders of

Iraq’s Christian community met with PrimeMinister Maliki to discuss the situation inMosul. Afterwards, the prime ministeraffirmed the right of Iraqi Christians to ‘livein safety and dignity’ and affirmed their sta-tus as a ‘component’ of the Iraqi people.

The commander of Iraq’s militaryordered ‘more checkpoints in Christianneighbourhoods’ and other security meas-ures.

That may be too little, too late. Joseph

Jacob, a professor at Mosul University, esti-mates that half of Mosul’s Christians havefled the city in the past five years. LikeChristians in the rest of Iraq, they don’t seemuch of a future in the country where theircommunity has lived since time immemorial. It’s easy to understand why. If merely insist-ing on representation can prompt this kindof terror, why should they be reassured byanything the Iraqi government has to say?Especially as political Islam plays a greaterrole in Iraqi society.

When Barak Obama enters the WhiteHouse in January, our political leaders willbe under great political pressure to reduceour presence in Iraq. And the Iraqi govern-ment now is working on a timetable for UStroops to leave. But extricating ourselvesfrom Iraq cannot come at the price of an1,800-year-old Christian community.

The United States must insist on mean-ingful security guarantees for Iraq’s Chris-tians, and Christians must insist to our polit-ical leaders that we keep our commitmentsand our honour intact. We owe Iraqi Chris-tians at least that much respect!

Still Hope Victorian Upper House Committee Will Reject ‘Social Engineering’ Bill

No Respect ForThe Plight of Iraqi Christians

THE Australian Christian Lobby has ex-pressed disappointment that the AssistedReproductive Treatment Bill 2008 hadpassed its second reading in the VictorianUpper House but said there was still hopethat the legislation committee would see thedreadful implications of the bill and reject it.

ACL Victorian Director Rob Ward saidthe bill had passed its second reading bythe narrowest of margins (20-18) and he ishopeful that the committee’s review wouldfurther reveal to parliamentarians the way inwhich the bill would deconstruct families,disadvantage children and take ‘social engi-neering’ to a new extreme.

‘This bill is part of an orchestrated cam-paign to deconstruct the natural family infavour of artificial social constructs that nor-

malise homosexual and lesbian parenting. ‘For example, for the first time in Victoria

two homosexual men will be able to legallyacquire a child through surrogacy – some-thing that drastically changes millennia ofunderstanding on the best interests of thechild’, Mr Ward said.

‘The bill liberalises surrogacy laws to theextent that almost anyone can arrange for awoman to carry a child on their behalf, a sit-uation that risks exploiting women and con-fusing children who may have up to sixadults involved in their conception, birth andupbringing’.

Mr Ward said the bill places the desiresof those adults who choose alternative life-styles far above the rights of the childrenconceived using technology.

‘Every child deserves the opportunity tohave a mother and a father, and to knowwho they are genetically and biologically.Governments should be actively protectingthis right, not overturning it.

‘We urge the committee to look into thefull implications of the bill and reject it’.

Who Can YouInvite

to Subscribe to‘New Life’?

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Page Ten – 27 November 2008 – NEW LIFE

There Is Concern – More Help NeededYES, Mrs Richards (Letters, 2008-10-30)the churches do not appear to be con-cerned about the trauma caused by al-cohol. Or alternatively they do not wish tobe involved in the message of prevention.

But I assure Mrs Richards that with ahistory of over 120 years, the Woman'sChristian Temperance Union remains activein work related to drug education for all agegroups from the children in primary schoolto older adults. It is important that informeddecisions can be made based on scientificfacts rather than going with the flow anddrinking because supposedly ‘everyone elsedoes’.

As an organization we are concernedabout many aspects of our current drinkingculture. We are concerned about the child-ren who are born with foetal alcohol syn-drome because Mum did not say ‘No’ to al-cohol while pregnant. Approximately onebaby in every 100 live births is the perma-nent victim of alcohol. We are concernedabout the families who are shattered whena teenager is killed or maimed from an alco-hol-fuelled fight. We are concerned aboutthe families – wives or husbands and chil-dren – who suffer when alcohol and vio-lence come together. We are concernedabout the young people who will neverreach their full potential because of irrever-sible brain damage from binge drinking.

We know the churches or individualChristians are very involved in picking upthe pieces of broken lives, like ambulancesat the bottom of the cliff. Are you concernedabout prevention? We certainly need morepeople aware and prepared to re-inforce thefence at the top of the cliff before thetragedy happens.

There is an open invitation to becomemembers of WCTU or if you would like aspeaker at your church or fellowship to gainmore information please contact<drugfree@net2000.com.au> or phone (03)9654 6491. The Mission Statement of theWCTU is: ‘To promote a drug-free lifestyleand Christian values in the home and com-munity’.

Please help us to do more in 2009.Ellen Chandler,

National President, WCTU of Australia.

ConcernedI AM concerned re Australia’s heritage –that it is being lost or has been lost already.On 14 May 1606 God spoke to a Portu-guese seaman, Captain Pedro FernandezDe Quiros, telling him to sail south andclaim a land for Him. He sailed under theSpanish flag with another ship captained bya Captain Torres. Torres Strait was namedafter him. They came upon our land, appar-ently never landed, and named it ‘the GreatSouthland of the Holy Spirit’.

When Governor Phillip landed with the

First Fleet he also claimed our land for God,dedicating it to Him, and Christianity blos-somed.

Today the Holy Spirit is being grievedand quenched to a degree, wickednesswaxing worse and worse, etc (surely ourLord’s return must be soon).

May I send out a call for prayer, reclaim-ing our land for God, and that the power ofthe Holy Spirit will again prevail and restoreour heritage before it’s too late.

Ray OliverNewlands Arm, Vic

An Inappropriate VentureI and some other Christians are greatly con-cerned about an interfaith venture whichhas taken place at various evangelical chur-ches and Christian venues around Australia.It allows an Islamic Imam to share his faithand push his agenda. If secular folk want torun with this, fine, but it seems most dan-gerous to have Christian groups and chur-ches promoting such things. See my write-up here:http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2008/11/10/islam-and-fifth-columns/I also wrote a more general piece on thetwo visiting Nigerians here:http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2008/11/04/truth-and-tolerance-christianity-and-islam/Do not let anyone deceive you. 1 John 3.7

Bill Muehlenberg, Culturewatch,Melbourne

SEVEN MPs have disowned a Senate sub-mission lodged in their name which calls forMedicare funding of abortion for disabledbabies because looking after disabled peo-ple costs too much.

The Parliamentary Group on Populationand Development’s submission, which is anexact copy of the Australian ReproductiveHealth Alliance’s submission, argues thatMedicare funding should be retained forsecond trimester abortion because allowingdisabled babies to be born would be a bur-den on the Australian taxpayer.

PGDP chair Senator Clair Moore lodgedthe submission, supposedly on behalf of 41Senators and Members.

After the Australian Christian Lobby e-mailed all 41, seven responded to say theydid not share the twin submissions’ viewson aborting the disabled and that they had

no knowledge of the submission lodged bySenator Moore in their name.

The Senate Finance and Public Adminis-tration Committee’s Inquiry into item 16525in Part 3 of Schedule 1 to the Health Insur-ance (General Medical Services Table) Reg-ulations 2007 report was tabled in theSenate recently.

The Inquiry, which held public hearingsover two days last month in Canberra,brought to light shocking evidence of:� Babies being born alive after botchedabortions and left to die; � The experience of foetal pain duringabortions; � The brutality of the little-known methodsused to abort babies in the secondtrimester; � The dangers to women from late termabortions performed in unregulated private,

for-profit clinics. MPs disowning the PGPD/ARHA sub-

mission include Dr Brendan Nelson,Senator Allan Eggleston, Julie Bishop andPhilip Ruddock. Three other MPs have writ-ten to ACL disowning the views of thePGPD. Names of the 41 MPs who aremembers of the PGPD can be found atwww.pgpd.asn.au/federal_members.html.

– Australian Christian Lobby

Aborting The Disabled To Save Money:Not In My Name Say Seven MPs

ʻNEW LIFE ̓KEEPS YOUUP TO DATE

AND INFORMEDSUBSCRIBE TODAY

CALL ALISON(03) 9890 3377

alison@nlife.com.au

NEW LIFE – 27 November 2008 – Page Eleven

THE 36 believers in a little village in Mani-pur, India, didn't come to know the Lordthrough large evangelistic rallies or by wit-nessing incredible miracles. They decidedto follow Jesus after seeing that Gospel ForAsia native missionaries Gul Sachh andLukesh Kabir truly cared about their lives.

Gul and Lukesh wanted to reach thepeople in their village. But every time theywent out to distribute Gospel literature orshare about their faith, they were mockedand ridiculed. No one wanted to hear aboutthe Saviour because they were alreadydevoted to their local deity.

Noticing the struggles and family prob-lems most of their neighbours suffered, Guland Lukesh deeply desired to give themhope. Then the missionaries had an idea.

They began offering seminars on issuesthat affected the villagers' personal lives.The missionaries covered topics like family

values, alcohol addiction, relationships andraising children. Soon, people filled theroom where the sessions were held.

After coming to several of the seminars,the people began asking questions aboutwhy Gul and Lukesh cared about their situ-ations. The missionaries were able to tellthem: ‘It's because of the love of Jesus!’

Initially, ten people received Christ, andnow 36 have decided to follow Him. Theyhave thrown away their hollow gods, be-cause they know that the One True God isthe only One who hears their problems andcares about their families.

The believers now come each Sundayfor worship, and the building where theymeet is almost too small to hold them all.They are now praying for their own churchbuilding where they can gather and thankGod for what He has done in their lives.

Gul and Lukesh ask for prayer that more

people will come to know the Lord throughthe seminars. They also request prayer thatthey will be able to construct a church build-ing soon. – Gospel for Asia

‘HOW THEY BROUGHT THE GOOD NEWS ...’

They Truly Cared ...

Reaching out to the people in meetings like thisone, Gul and Lukesh helped the villagers under-

stand that Jesus truly cares about their lives.

Page Twelve – 27 November 2008 – NEW LIFE

The Church At ThyatiraTHE fourth centre of the seven churches ofAsia was Thyatira (Revelation 2.18-29). Itwas about 35 miles south-east of Perga-mum, and was famous for its many tradeguilds and its wool dyeing industry. It wasthe city from which Lydia, the seller of pur-ple, came (Acts 16.14). Lydia sold purplefabrics (dyed), and such materials are soldby Turkish women in these areas today.

C.J. Hemer states (Buried History, 1075,p.114) that in the few available sources ofinformation about Thyatira, there is 'unusualprominence of trade-guilds'. The referencesfrom the past include unions of clothiers,linen-workers, wool merchants, and dyers.In his Roman Rule In Asia Minor, DavidMagie says: 'Thyatira, in fact, seems tohave been particularly important for its dye-ing process, for its guild of dyers was evi-dently unusually prosperous’.

C.J. Hemer also 'analyses the rare wordchalkolibanon (‘fine brass’) in Revelation1.15 and 2.18 as a reference to a specialalloy of the local metal workers.' Indirectevidences such as these continue to pointto the authenticity of the Bible records.The Church At SardisSardis was the fifth of these early churchcentres (Revelation 3.1-6). It was the capitalof ancient Lydia, and was about 30 milessouth of Thyatira. It was famous for its greatquantities of gold, panned from the sands ofthe Pactolus River. In 1968 excavatorsfound nearly 300 crucibles that had beenused for the refining of gold.

The reference to the Lord coming ‘as athief in the night’ is possibly a reference totheir city's history. They had been over-con-fident as to the impregnable nature of theirfortress, and they had been caught un-awares and ignominiously defeated. Thispossibly is the historical background toRevelation 3.3 '... Therefore if you will notwatch, I will come upon you like a thief, andyou will not know what time I will comeupon you.'The Church At PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia – 'brotherly love' – was thesixth city of the Seven Churches of Asia. Itwas about 38 miles south-east of Sardis.God had set before the Christians inPhiladelphia 'an open door' (Revelation 3.8)and Philadelphia itself was directly on theroad that led into the interior – an 'open

door' indeed.There is little evi-

dence of ancient civili-sation in Philadelphiatoday, for a modern citycovers it. However, vari-ous temples and deitiesare shown on recoveredcoins – including Arte-mis of Anoitas (the Per-sian Anahita), and Aph-rodite. Once again,these indicate the falseworship that was in thebackground. Against thisidolatry the Christianshad stood firm 'and notdenied My name'(Revelation 3.8).

Laodicea is the lastof the cities mentioned in these Letters tothe Seven Churches. It was in the valley ofthe Lycus River. The modern city of Denizliis about five miles away, while the city ofColossae was about 10 miles to the east.Hierapolis was six miles to the north. Lao-dicea is referred to at Colossians 2.1;4.13,15,16, and Hierapolis is named at Col-ossians 4.13.The Church At LaodiceaThe Lord rebukes the Laodicean Christiansbecause they are 'neither hot nor cold'(Revelation 3.15) – lukewarm. It is believedthat the waters of the local aqueducts (ofwhich there were a number) came from hotsprings, and the aqueducts became blockedby calcareous deposits. The water was in-deed lukewarm by the time it flowedthrough to Laodicea. It would have been asickly mixture, and we are certainly remind-ed of Revelation 3.16, 'I will spew you out ofMy mouth.' Once again we find that the 'lo-cal colour' is relevant as an illustration inthe teaching of spiritual truths.

Another interesting point about Laodiceais the suggestion at Revelation 3.18 that thepeople should anoint their eyes with eyesalve, so that they might see. C.J.Hemer writes that there is circum-stantial support for the inference thatan eye salve was made at Laodiceaand he states: 'There are independ-ent grounds for locating an advancedand specialised ophthalmology atLaodicea.' It seems that the medical

school there specialised in the dispensing ofcollyrium, which was used both for cosmeticpurposes and as an eye salve. This clearlyfits the reference to eye salve at Revelation3.18.

C.J. Hemer further states: 'the church isjudged as “poor and blind and naked”, butLaodicea boasted businesses and manufac-turers which professed to meet each ofthese needs: it was a banking centrefamous for its eye-surgeons and ointments,and for its woollen clothing. The church nodoubt regarded itself as spiritually rich, andperhaps intellectually superior. It was blindto its own blindness.'

Once again, that clearly fits what we findat Revelation 3.17 and 18:

'You say, I am rich, have becomewealthy, and have need of nothing - and donot know that you are wretched, miserable,poor, blind and naked - I counsel you to buyfrom me gold refined in the fire, that youmay be rich; and white garments, that youmay be clothed, that the shame of yournakedness may not be revealed; and anointyour eyes with eye-salve, that you maysee.'

What Do We Know About The Seven Churches of Revelation?

DID YOU KNOW? ... by Clifford Wilson

Drs Clifford and Barbara Wilsonare available for Bible Teaching

Seminars for churches.Email: c.bwilson@bigpond.com

Q & A

OVER 150 representatives from 60 Hunter(Newcastle, NSW) Region churches gath-ered for a Jesus. All About Life campaignlaunch breakfast at the Belmont SalvationArmy Corps on Thursday 13 November.

Guest speakers were Karl Faase,Director of Jesus. All About Life and An-drew Fisher, driver of the Jesus Ute and theJesus Supercar and Bible Society NSWboard member.

The Jesus. All About Life campaign is a

prime time media campaign developed byBible Society NSW that will run across theregion for six weeks from Good Friday2009.

Major Topher Holland from the SalvationArmy Corps at Belmont and chairman of thelocal organizing committee introduced Karland Andrew. Karl Faase, a Baptist pastorfrom Gymea, talked about the impact thatchurches working together in an area likethe Hunter could have on their local com-

munity. ‘When this campaign ran in Adel-aide, churches across the city hung outtheir Jesus. All About Life banners and gotinvolved in running events and workingtogether to raise awareness and interest inthe person of Jesus’, Karl said. ‘Everyonewas talking about the Jesus ads’.

Andrew Fisher spoke about how wecame to have the Jesus. All About Lifebrand on his V8 Ute, which he races in theYokohama V8 Ute series around Australia.

‘I came home from a men’s weekendand was challenged to be more open aboutmy faith’, he said. ‘I wanted to put a Chris-tian fish symbol on my ute or a Bible verse,but my wife said: “Why don’t you put the‘Jesus. All About Life brand there instead?” Ihad nowhere to go, so I spoke to the BibleSociety who created the campaign and theJesus Ute was born’, he said.

‘What this has taught me is that if yourespond to God’s call on your life and putyourself out there, God will do the rest. Thedevelopment of our Jesus Racing Ministryinto schools is enough proof. That’s Godsaying: “I'm engaged with this program”. Iwant to encourage the churches of theHunter to sign up and get on board with thecampaign’, Andrew said.

Rick Prosser from the organizing com-mittee challenged the meeting to considerhow they could raise the finance needed.

‘We believe we can saturate the Hunterregion with Jesus for a media buy of$200,000’, he said. ‘That’s $1,000 for everychurch in the region’.

For more information contact BibleSociety NSW – Martin Johnson 0417 028438; mjohnson@biblesocietynsw.com.auor Terri Muendel – Hunter Region organiz-

ing committee, Terri-m@aapt.net.au

NEW LIFE – 27 November 2008 – Page Thirteen

SIGN UP! SIGN UP FOR JESUS!

60 Hunter Churches Sign Up For Jesus – All About Life– Easter 2009 Media Campaign Launched At Breakfast

1 Thessalonians 5.2ʻFor you know very wellthat the day of the Lord

will come like a thiefin the night.ʼ

Inserted by Ivan Bell

PERSECUTION WATCH ...‘Remember those in prison ... and those who aremistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.’

(Hebrews 13.3)

Page Fourteen – 27 November 2008 – NEW LIFE

Millions Pray On IDOP SundayMILLIONS of Christians around the worldjoined together in prayer on the Internation-al Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.More than 100 million Christians each yearare beaten and even killed for their faith. KPYohannan, founder of Gospel for Asia, saysthat thousands of Christians have beenforced from their homes or killed in the lat-est wave of persecution: ‘The situation isn'tgetting any better. Seven pastors who werebringing help to persecuted Christians incamps were arrested by police, accused ofconverting people and causing distur-bances’.

Despite the persecution, pastors, mis-sionaries and evangelists continue to sharetheir faith.Persecution In Eritrea Rages OnTHE persecution of Christians in Eritreacontinues to grow as arrests become moreprevalent. Todd Nettleton with Voice of theMartyrs explains the situation: ‘More than2,000 Christians are currently in prison in

Eritrea simply because they are Christians.They are part of the evangelical churchthere that the government has tried to shutdown’.

The persecution recently reached oneimprisoned Christian who died from malariaafter being refused treatment by the govern-ment. And despite reports that 65 moreChristians have been arrested, there hasbeen minimal response from westernnations. ‘Because Eritrea is such a smallcountry, and because of other things goingon in the world, there hasn't been the publicoutcry. There haven't been other countriescalling on the Eritrean leader to let theChristians go, to let the churches meet pub-licly’.Colombian Church Leaders Under FireCHRISTIANS in Colombia are anxious tolearn the fate of Pastor William Reyes,missing since 25 September, even as threeother pastors have gone missing. Reyesnever arrived at his home in Maicao afterleaving a meeting in Valledupar.

Family members and fellow ministersfear that illegal armed groups may havemurdered him as an area pastors’ grouphas received repeated threats from both theleftist Revolutionary Armed Forces ofColombia and right-wing paramilitary units.

Abduction is another possibility. In thepast month, three Christian pastors werereportedly killed in separate incidents inColombia. According to Pedro Acosta of thePeace Commission of the EvangelicalCouncil of Colombia, two ministers died innorthern Colombia’s Caribbean region anda third in Buenaventura on the Pacificcoast.

These killings may have been carriedout by members of the Colombian armedforces, according to evidence emerging inrecent weeks. Some recent military scan-dals have prompted President Alvaro Uribeto announce that he had dismissed morethan two dozen soldiers and officers, amongthem three generals.

– Compass Direct News

PASTOR ‘Bike’ Zhang Mingxuan, his wifeand his wife's sister were declared ‘free’ bygovernment officials on 27 October inNanyang, Henan province as a direct resultof international outcry on their behalf.

China Aid Association says it is believedthat the three were being held to preventthem from attending the third anniversary ofthe Chinese House Church Alliance whichwas held in Beijing on 20 October.

CAA said Pastor Bike, President of theChinese House Church Alliance, was one ofapproximately 300 delegates invited toattend the celebration. Because of policeharassment, only about 100 of the dele-gates made it to Beijing for the event.

Pastor Bike was first detained on 16October after his sons, Zhang Jian andZhang Chuang, were beaten by police andhis wife was evicted from their apartment.The Public Security Bureau sent out twoseparate groups to arrest the family. One

group of PSB officers picked up Pastor Bikeat the Kunming Airport. Another grouparrested his wife and his wife's sister inBeijing and took them to Nanyang city,Henan province. Pastor Bike was detainedin the PSB office of Shilin city, Yunnanprovince with about 15 PSB officers watch-ing and questioning him in turn. On 23 Oct-ober, Pastor Bike was transported by policecar to Nanyang city by two PSB officersfrom the PSB of Nanyang city. He and hiswife along his wife's sister were detained atWenquan Hotel in Nanyang city until 27October when they were all declared ‘free’.

Pastor Bike's sons, Zhang Jian andZhang Chuang, moved with their families toNanyang city, where they are still recoveringfrom their injuries. However, Pastor Bike'syounger son, Zhang Chuang, has beenordered by his landlord to report back toBeijing and move out of the apartment thathe is legally renting.

At the anniversary celebration of theHouse Church Alliance on 20 October inBeijing, the approximately 100 ChineseHouse Church Alliance delegates whomade it to Beijing issued a public statementdeclaring they will continue to live out theirfaith and care for the poor and orphansdespite persecution.

– Michael Ireland, Chief Correspondent,ASSIST News Service

Prominent Chinese House Church Leader Pastor 'Bike' Zhang ReleasedAfter International Outcry

PLEASE PRAY CONSTANTLY FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH!

FOR THE YOUNG ONES:

NEW LIFE – 27 November 2008 – Page Fifteen

‘Now That You Are Back: A JourneyThrough Depression’, Richard Beeston,Blue Bottle books, Sydney, 2008.THE colourful cover immediately attractsthe reader to this personal and honest bookabout one couple’s journey with depression.Journey is an appropriate subtitle for thisbook, for it is written with the depressionunder control and the lives of Alison andRichard Beeston back on track, albeit a dif-ferent, more experienced track than theywere on before the illness that beset Alisonand turned their lives askew.

This is not the definitive medical book ondepression but an honest appraisal of theirown experiences both with health profes-sionals and with their families, friends andchurch family. With one in four women andone in six men statistically in Australiashown to experience a major depressiveepisode at some stage in their life, depres-sion is something we all need to knowabout. It is a time when we can step in tosupport our friends and acquaintances. To

draw back may be a natural reaction, butRichard Beeston argues it is not the helpfulthing to do.

This is a short book of 80 pages thatcan be readily understood by all and givescontact addresses for the depressed personand his carer looking for support and ad-vice. The book also comes with a bonus CDof 4 tracks from All Mankind, the band ofwhich Richard is a member. He found thatthe times of grief he suffered with Alison’sdepression helped him to write and causedhim in the end to give up full time work andconcentrate on his music as a means ofChristian witness. – Mignon Goswell

‘Water Or Goo? A Tania AbbeyAdventure’, Penny Reeve, ChristianFocus Publications, Scotland, 2008.WATER! A vital issue for Australia and theworld! As Australians we are learning thatwater is not always readily there and thatwe must not use it unthinkingly. For manyparts of the world what water there is has tobe carried to the dwelling and is very often

not safe to drink. Herein lies the theme ofthis book, aimed at Grade 2 to 5 children.

The main character of the book, Tania,is encouraged by her class teacher and par-ents to come up with a way of making herlocal district aware of the plight of lessdeveloped countries in respect to theirwater supply. How she does this is enter-tainingly brought to us by Penny Reeve, anAustralian who has worked in Nepal andthus encountered these conditions at firsthand. Written in the style of current chil-dren’s books it will appeal to its target audi-ence. But curiously, though this is meant tobe an Australian town setting, there is littlethat made me actually sense it does takeplace in Australia. The title certainly had myfamily members puzzled. I wonder if you willfind the same when you look at the cover!

– Mignon Goswell

Page Sixteen – 27 November 2008 – NEW LIFE

BOOKS WORTH READING ...

‘Dictionary of Mission Theology’, JohnCorrie, ed, Evangelical Foundations, IVP,Downers Grove, 2007.AN updated dictionary of Mission Theologyfor the 21st century is needed after the sig-nificant publication of Evangelical Dictionaryof World Missions by Baker Book House in1999. The publication of this dictionary byIVP is right on time to meet the current chal-lenges of mission studies.

This dictionary has three important aims(pp. xiv-xvii): 1. To highlight and explore themissiological implications of a wide range ofChristian doctrines and theologies, therebycreating a theology of mission that willserve as a reference book, resource andtextbook for those in any and every context,who are, or intend to be, involved in God’smission in the world. 2. To provide a contex-tual view of mission. 3. To chart the con-tours of an evangelical missiology whichhas its roots both in cherished and recog-nized evangelical categories and also seeksto move evangelical mission thinking be-yond those categories.

This dictionary largely achieves the lasttwo aims. Articles are written by scholarswho represent not only Western thinking,but also those with Two Thirds World view-points. It therefore presents a diverse, yetevangelical perspective on mission studies.

Many articles provide fresh evangelical

viewpoint that is Biblical, theological, con-textual and relevant in current studies ofmission theology.

The articles are of a high quality in termsof contextual views and from the perspec-tive of evangelical mission theology. All arti-cles either begin with or include a para-graph of Biblical studies relevant to thetopic being dealt with. The reader may findthis evangelical dictionary in some ways nottraditional, but it reflects current develop-ments in evangelical mission theology.

Although many articles are well re-searched, some of the bibliographies ofthese articles are outdated. This puts up ahurdle to achieving the first aim of ‘servingas a reference book, resource and textbookfor all those in any and every context, whoare, or intend to be, involved in God’s mis-sion in the world’. However, I still find it use-ful as a tool to introduce oneself to thechanging phase of mission theology fromthe 20th Century to the early 21st Century.

– Felix Chung

Thomas Building Services

� CONSTRUCTION � LANDSCAPING �

� MINI EXCAVATIONS �

� BACKYARD MAKEOVERS �

� TIGHT ACCESS EXCAVATIONS�

CARPENTRY: LANDSCAPING:Decks PavingPergolas Turf LayingFlooring Garden MaintenanceExtensions Retaining WallsRenovations Tree Lopping

Chris Thomas: 0402 433 194

NEW LIFE – 27 November 2008 – Page Seventeen

WITH CHRIST IN THE FIERY FURNACE

IT is very easy to despair over Somalia asbeing no more than a land of war, chaos,lawlessness, hopelessness, tribalism, bar-barism and Islam. The international commu-nity and the mainstream media seem tohave largely abandoned Somalia, not leastbecause it is simply too dangerous to visit.

But Christians must in true counter-cul-tural fashion see Somalia through spiritualeyes. Yes, it is a fiery furnace, but Jesus isthere within and for His Church. Actuallythere is nothing the Church can do but pray.Praise God that His power is made perfectin our weakness! (2 Corinthians 12.9,10)

Until the early 1960s, northern Somalia(Somaliland and Puntland) were British pro-tectorates while southern Somalia was col-onised by Italy. After independence, tribal-ism and the differences that had evolvedbetween north and south made reunificationdifficult. Governance issues were furthercomplicated by famines and wars led byirredentists (those who advocate the recov-ery of territory culturally or historically relat-ed to their nation but now subject to a for-eign government) seeking to establish aGreater Somalia encompassing the Somali-populated regions of eastern Ethiopia (Oga-den), north-eastern Kenya and Djibouti.

From the mid-1960s to 1978, Somaliawas allied to and funded by the Soviet

Union. After losing its Soviet patron, Somal-ia descended into dire poverty.

Then, when clan-based warlords over-threw the socialist dictator in 1991, Somaliabecame captive to warlordism. While self-declared independent Somaliland and semi-autonomous Puntland have found some de-gree of stability, southern Somalia has re-mained wracked by devastating conflict.

In mid-2006, Somalia's UN-appointedTransitional Federal Government wasforced to flee the capital, Mogadishu, forBaidoa (near the Ethiopian border) after aunion of Islamist groups seized power in acoup. The ICU is led by Sheik Aweys, an al-Qaeda-linked designated terrorist, irreden-tist and veteran of the failed 1977 OgadenWar against Ethiopia.

In December 2006, Ethiopian troopsentered Somalia to protect the TFG andcrush the Islamists who are a real threat toEthiopian national security. The Ethiopianvictory was swift and some 3,000 militantIslamists took off their uniforms and meltedback into the civilian population. However,the Islamists are in the ascendant onceagain due to the lack of international andregional military assistance to maintain sta-bility.

Today the southern port city of Kismayois controlled by the Taliban-style Shabaab

group. Earlier this month, Aisha IbrahimDuhulow (13 years of age) complained to aShabaab-run Sharia court that she hadbeen kidnapped and gang-raped.

The court found her guilty of adulteryand sent her to the local stadium where shewas buried up to her neck in sand and thenstoned to death before a 1000-strongcrowd.

Shabaab militants recently publicly be-headed a humanitarian aid worker namedMansuur Mohammed (25) in a village nearBaidoa because he converted to Christianityin 2005. This was shown by mobile phonevideo across the region.

Early on Sunday 9 November, armedIslamic militants conducted a cross-borderraid into the town of El Wak in the ManderaDistrict of north-eastern Kenya and kid-napped two Catholic nuns. The Italian nuns– Maria Teresa Olivero (60) and CaterinaGiraudo (67) – were working on hunger andhealth programs. The gunmen are holdingthem captive in Somalia.

– The WEA Religious Liberty Commissionsponsors this Religious Liberty Prayer List,

authored by Elizabeth Kendal, to help indi-viduals and groups pray specifically and

regularly for religious liberty issues, and inparticular to uphold the Church where it is

suffering persecution.

Somalia: A Fiery Furnace, Yet Christ Is There

Please Pray Specifically ForSomalia –� That the ever-present Christ (Matthew 28.20; John 14.16,17) would build, sustain andsanctify His Church in Somalia by His Spirit, and protect her with His authority over allearthly and spiritual powers (Ephesians 1.22; 1 Peter 3.22). � That the martyrdom of Mansuur Mohammed would be used by God to achieve exactlythe opposite planned by Islamists: may many be repulsed by their hatred and barbarityand attracted instead to the grace and inner peace displayed by the Christian martyrnamed Mohammed. � For the two Catholic nuns and other aid workers presently held in captivity; may theSpirit of the Living God comfort and encourage all national and expatriate Christians inSomalia, so they experience His fellowship and protection in the midst of this fiery fur-nace, and may all the people see it. (Daniel 3) � That the God of creation, who created light, order and beauty from darkness andemptiness (Genesis 1), would bring transforming light and harmony to Somalia. 'And God has put all things under the authority of Christ, and He gave Him this authorityfor the benefit of the Church. And the Church is His body; it is filled by Christ, who fillseverything everywhere with His presence.' (Ephesians 1.22,23 NLT)

– WEA Religious Liberty Prayer List <rl-prayer@crossnet.org.au>

NEEDING HELP WITHSERMON PREPARATION?

SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHING?BIBLE STUDY?

Original MPA Bible-centredreprint now available.

ʻIn The BeginningʼʻWonderful Words Of Jesusʼ

ʻGrowing In ChristʼʻJacob And Josephʼ

Further series being prepared.For details contact:

Jack and Pauline Finch2/20 St Georges Crescent

FAULCONBRIDGE NSW 2776(02) 4751 4553

finchaven@tadaust.org.au

Who Can You Inviteto Subscribe to

‘New Life’?

‘Let Us Pray ...’Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin

'Many seek an audience with a ruler, but it is from the Lord thatman gets justice.' (Proverbs 29.26). So let us come into the courtsof the Lord with confidence as we pray for the Persecuted Church.

INDIA: Pray for this nation, for God to intervene and restrain Hindutva violence and usethis tragedy to awaken Indians to a reassessment and rejection of Hindutva ideology. Pray for the Church: for God to protect and provide for the hundreds of thousands ofChristians displaced by genocidal Hindutva terror in Orissa, and unsettled by theHindutva violence in BJP-led states across the country. IRAQ: Pray for the Church: for God to protect and sustain the hundreds of thousands ofChristians displaced by genocidal religious-ethnic Muslim violence in the south, the cen-tre, and Mosul the capital of northern Iraq's Nineveh Province. We pray this also for thehundreds of thousands of Iraqi Christian refugees living in dire conditions scatteredacross the Middle East, primarily in Syria, Turkey and Jordan. MALDIVES: On the International Day Of Prayer 2007 we prayed asking God to be atwork in the Republic of Maldives in times of challenge and change, requesting specifically that religious liberty become a reality. This year we praise God for Maldives' successfuldemocratic elections (28 October), for the peaceful transition of power, and for the newreformist government of President Mohamed Nasheed.PHILIPPINES: In August the Supreme Court intervened to postpone the signing of aMemorandum of Agreement between the Government of Philippines and the MoroIslamic Liberation Front. This would have given the MILF jurisdiction over a de factoIslamic state in Mindanao. When the signing ceremony was cancelled, Muslim militantsaligned with the MILF attacked Christian areas of Mindanao, murdering and woundingdozens and displacing thousands. In October the Supreme Court ruled that the MoA wasunconstitutional. Tensions are high. Some Islamic elements are threatening jihad.SOMALIA: Islamic militants waging jihad in Somalia have assassinated some 24 aidworkers so far this year. When they captured humanitarian aid worker Mansuur Moham-med (25) in September they did not merely kill him. Because he had left Islam and con-verted to Christianity in 2005, they beheaded him in a public spectacle of raging aposta-phobia (fear of apostasy). Eye witnesses report that before they executed him, the Qur'-an-chanting, gun-and-sword-wielding militants publicly denounced him as a 'murtid', onewho converts from Islam to Christianity. They then recorded the execution on a mobilephone and spread their terror throughout the region. Mansuur Mohammed reportedly re-mained calm and quiet to the end. Pray that God will use the witness of a young Chris-tian martyr to win many Somalis to Christ. SUDAN: In line with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, legislative elections are dueto be held by July 2009. A year ago the situation looked futile in the face of the provoca-tive separatist rhetoric from the south and the belligerent jihadist rhetoric from the north.There has been much prayer for a unified opposition to contest the 2009 elections andunseat the Arab Islamist military regime in Khartoum. Praise God that the late Dr JohnGarang's vision of a 'New Sudan' (united, secular and rights-affirming) is now catching onand a campaign to forge an opposition that could contest the elections is emerging. Boththe Islamist government (based in the north) and the Southern People's Liberation Move-ment (a national movement based in the south) are re-arming and conflict appears immi-nent and unavoidable. But if a strong, broad political opposition can be built around theSPLM and given a mandate to govern, the Islamist regime's days could be numbered. Pray for the Holy Spirit to fill the longsuffering, traumatised, war-ravaged and persecutedChurch with a Spirit of grace that will equip them to advance reconciliation and Gospelwitness amongst those who have persecuted and terrorised them for so long.

Page Eighteen – 27 November 2008 – NEW LIFE

ONESIMUS AND FRIENDS ... ‘Useful to me and to you’

WHAT MONEY CAN'T BUY:

Money will buy:a bed, but not sleep;books, but not brains;food, but not appetite;finery, but not beauty;a house, but not a home;medicine, but not health;luxuries, but not culture;amusements, but not happiness;religion, but not salvation;a passport to everywhere ...but not Heaven.

– The Voice In The Wilderness(Quoted in Sound Bites)

UPCOMINGEVENTS:See You At The Pole 2009 willbe on Thursday 21 May Australia wide.This will be the 10th Anniversary ofSYATP in our nation. For details go to: www.syatpaustralia.com

Christmas Songs of Praise:

DIAMOND Valley Baptist Church, Vic,announces their next Songs of Praiseprogram will be held on 7 December from2-4.30 pm.

MAF Discovery Day, NSW, willbe held on Saturday 21 February 2009 atCamden Airport, south west of Sydney,from 10am. For more information, go towww.maf.org.au

The Fellowship Of Congre-

gational Churches will holdtheir next FCC Teaching Seminar onTuesday 17 February, 2009, at BexleyCongregational Church. The speaker willbe Rev David Thurston, Church Planter,founding Director of NSW PresbyterianMinistry of Evangelism and Pastor ofCentral Sydney Presbyterian Church.The Eighth Annual FCC Preaching Sem-inar will be held on Wednesday 17 Juneat Bexley. The speaker will be Rev MikeRaiter, Principal of the Bible College ofVictoria.

NEW LIFE – 27 November 2008 – Page Nineteen

HELP IS AT HAND ...

� Special Message FromThe Hon Peter Costello MP

� FREE ADMISSION!

New Life Needs YOU!� Uphold Us In Prayer � Encourage Others To Subscribe � Advertise With Us

For new updated information on theBrisbane Christian Fellowship, go to:

www.defenceofthefaith.org

BAPTIST World Aid, the relief and develop-ment arm of the Baptist World Alliance, hasprovided US$30,000 for relief in the Demo-cratic Republic of Congo.

The grant is offered in the wake of re-cent fighting between government and rebelforces in the mineral rich country that hasdisplaced an estimated 250,000 persons.Millions were already displaced in the DRCand bordering countries such as Uganda,Burundi and Rwanda as a result of theSecond Congo War waged between 1998and 2003

The latest fighting began in late Octoberwhen a rebel group, the National Congressfor the Defence of the People, engaged theCongolese army and Mai-Mai pro-govern-ment militias and captured territories closeto Goma, capital of North Kivu.

Baptists have been affected by the con-flict. Robert Bruce Paden of the EvangelicalCommunity of Baptist Churches of Eastern

Congo reported that the Baptist Churchcommunity has been devastated by the warthat has been raging in eastern Congo. Heestimates that 80% of the pastors and peo-ple in the churches have fled because ofthe fighting in their areas, and thus manyCEBCE churches are no longer functioningfor this reason.

Athanase Habimana, President of theBaptist Union, says: ‘there are 17 brothersarrested’ by the Coalition of Congolese Pat-riotic Resistance, an opposition group, ‘andthe regular army saying this or that one col-laborates with this or that group’.

Habimana said that many children arenow soldiers in rebel factions, including thechild of a Baptist pastor, and that parentswho refuse to hand over their children arekilled. Government forces are also accusedof rapes and looting. The BWAid grant willbe used to provide food, water, and shelterfor displaced persons.

BWAid Assists Displaced Persons In CongoIN Network Works To GetKids Out Of SlumIN Network is shining the light of Christ intoa Kenyan slum known as ‘the place of dark-ness’. On the outskirts of Nairobi, Kibera ishome to about one million people. Presidentof IN Network Rody Rodeheaver explainsthat their partnership with the church ofKibera makes a huge difference in the livesof the slum children. ‘Two things that aregoing to change the lives of the children ofKibera is one, to have a personal relation-ship with Jesus Christ, and two, to get aneducation that will give them the power towalk out of Kibera, find a job and begin tomake a life for themselves away from thepoverty and hurt of this place’. Many havecome to know Jesus through IN Network'sevangelism and now attend church.Southern Sumatra Opens New BranchLibraryA Partners International associate hasopened a new branch library in Indonesia tohelp supplement formal education in SouthSumatra by offering courses in conversa-tional Eng-lish along with child scholarshipsfor poor families who cannot send their chil-dren to school.

NEW LIFE – 27 November 2008 – Page Twenty

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE ...

Australian New Testament Scholar HonouredTHE Board of Directors of the AustralianCollege of Theology have awarded an hon-orary Doctor of Theology degree to well-known Sydney historian and New Testa-ment scholar, Paul Barnett. The award is inrecognition of Dr Barnett’s contribution tothe life and work of the Anglican Church ofAustralia and particularly his substantialacademic and scholarly contributions.

Paul Barnett has made contributionsthrough three significant pastorates (StBarnabas, Sydney, Holy Trinity, Adelaide,and Trinity Chapel, Robert MenziesCollege); his Episcopal work as Bishop ofNorth Sydney; his academic work as a lec-turer at Moore Theological College, Sydneyand Regent College, Vancouver and asfounder of the School of Christian Studiesat Robert Menzies College; and his numer-ous published articles and books, especiallyhis works on historical evidences, his com-mentary on 2 Corinthians and the new 3-volume work After Jesus, on the firstChristian century.

In announcing the award, the Dean ofthe Australian College of Theology, the RevDr Mark Harding said: ‘The nominee’s theo-logical learning is attested by his body ofpublished work, especially the many sub-stantial monographs appearing on his CV,and his scholarly contribution, as evidencedby the reports of his Australian and interna-tional referees, can properly be consideredof international repute and standing’.

Two members of theCollege nominated PaulBarnett for the award: theMaster of Robert MenziesCollege and Principal ofthe School of ChristianStudies, Professor ChrisBellenger, who comment-ed on the way throughouthis ministry that PaulBarnett had balanced afundamental commitmentto the training of lay menand women for mission intheir work, family andcommunity with the pursuitof scholarly endeavour;and the Principal of RidleyCollege, Melbourne, theRev Dr Peter Adam, whocommended the nomineeto the Board of Directorsby underscoring his schol-arly contribution, especial-ly his works examining thehistorical background ofthe New Testament, andon Jesus and the Gospelsand the Apostle Paul.

Paul Barnett continuesto lecture at the School of Christian Studies,Moore College, the PresbyterianTheological Centre in Sydney and RegentCollege, Vancouver.

The degree will be conferred at theSchool of Christian Studies graduation cere-mony on Monday 2 March 2009 at TrinityChapel, Robert Menzies College.

MAKE POVERTY HISTORY?We’re WORKING on it!

Visit: www.presaid.org.au

Ramon A Williams–Worldwide PhotosWANT TO SEE MORE?

‘New Life’ can only publish a small selection ofphotos, but you can see more of those attributed

to Worldwide Photos by going to:http://community.webshots.com/user/ramon_williams

e-mail: rlgmedia@ozemail.com.au

NEW LIFE BOOKS &NEW LIFE BOOKS &ARCHAEOLOGYARCHAEOLOGYRear of Church Hall

Maroondah Family Church44 Dublin Road,Ringwood East

Mon-Sat 10am-2pmJohn (03) 9893 4521Ron (03) 9736 3603Tony (03) 9801 5440

NEW LIFE – 27 November 2008 – Page Twenty One

AT YOUR SERVICE

POSITIONS! POSITIONS! POSITIONS!HOLIDAY GUIDE(VIC)

BOWRAL BAPTIST CHURCHBowral Baptist Church is seekingto appoint a Pastor who knows

the call of God on his life.Situated in the beautiful Southern Highlands of

NSW, just over an hour from Sydney Airport, the church has90 members and ministers to nearly 200 people.

The man we are looking for will have gifts of biblically basedpreaching and teaching and a warm pastoral heart.

He will show leadership in working with youth and youngfamilies and in reaching the community with the Gospel.

He will be a man of prayer and wisdom and havea demonstrated ability to equip and build up the church.A profile of the church is available setting out purpose,

values and vision together with a desirable pastor profile.Enquiries to the Secretary, John Brew

phone 0414 833 252e-mail j_brew@bigpond.net.auPO Box 742 Bowral NSW 2576

OPENaid, a Christian organisation empowering women andgirls to overcome sex trafficking and poverty in

Southeast Asia,requires an individual (or couple) to undertake leadershipof a weekend fundraising BBQ in Melbourne that raises

funds to facilitate the ongoing work of OPENaid.Applicants will have excellent communication skills, a flairfor organisation, capacity to lead teams of volunteers and

evidence of spiritual maturity.For job description and renumeration details contact:Anna Kha (anna@openaid.org.au) phone: 0409 250 665

Since 1994

96.3 Rhema FMhas been broadcasting

The Reality of Life in Jesus Christ24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Tune in for the latest in Christian musicand quality teaching programs.

For your free program guide: Ph (03) 5241 6550Email: rhema@rhemafm.org.au www.rhemafm.org.au

Mail: PO Box 886, Belmont 3216

Live the Life!

MARYSVILLEMountain Lodge Guest House

12 ensuited bedrooms + large sep-arate dining, lounge, conference

rooms. Table tennis, billiards, near-by tennis courts and golf course.

Ideal for small groups, familyreunions, leadership weekends,

Alpha groups.Ph: (03) 5963 3270Fax: (03) 5963 4078

www.mountainlodgemarysville.com

SHOREHAM (Near Flinders, Vic)Lovely 4 b.r. holiday home in quiet

court near beach. All mod cons.Reasonable rent.

Phone: (03) 9877 1936 or0409 337 911

HOLIDAY GUIDE (UK)

LONDON B & B.Private home: self-catering, ensuite, QS bed,TV, fridge, m/wave, c/htg. Easy city access.

Reasonable rates.Rachel Allen, 10 Beecroft Rd, Brockley,

London SE4 2BS.Ph/fax: 0011.44.20.8694 6538.

Email: rachel@brockleybandb.fsnet.co.uk

EASTWIDE PLUMBING SERVICESDomestic, Commercial, Industrial; Hot/Cold

Water; Maintenance; Water Tanks; Gas Fittings;Drainage; Repair/Install Renovate/New Homes.

24 Hour Service 0403 740 345Lic no. 48991

TONER MENWe refill Laser Toner Cartridges

and supply Refill Kits.�More cost effective!�Environmentally friendly!�Uncompromising quality!

Call 1300 733 920sales@tonermen.com.auwww.tonermen.com.au

DONATIONS TO ‘NEW LIFE’ ARE ALWAYS WELCOME

AND HELP US TOCONTINUE AND EXTEND

OUR MINISTRY

Page Twenty Two – 27 November 2008 – NEW LIFE

AT YOUR SERVICE:BIRTH:

DAWSON (MITCHELL)Jonathan and Dianna are grateful

to God for the safe arrival ofThomas Gryphon, born on 1 Nov.Grandson for Wilfred & Michele

Dawson and Ian & Marion Mitchell.

www.bibleradio.org.au(rebuilt)

Sunday 7 December 2-4.30pm, pre-prog 1.30pmSpecial Guest itemsSue-Anne Webster

Eliza CrellinDVBC Kids presenting ‘The Ancient Story’

Tim Ellis reading ‘Soldier’s Almanac’Dale Philip & Ron Ellis with special Christmas duet

Kaitlyn McVicar talented dancerFree Entry Everybody Welcome

Sing your favourite carolsEnjoy Complimentary afternoon tea

Diamond Valley Baptist Church309 Diamond Creek Road, Plenty

(Melway 11 D7) Phone (03) 9435 9377

Let us buildyou upin your mostholy faith...SUBSCRIBETODAY!SUBSCRIPTION:$50pa $25 six months$45pa (student/pensioner/full time Christian worker)$25pa (email version)

CONTACT US NOW!EMAIL:office@nlife.com.aueditor@nlife.com.auPHONE:(03) 9890 3377POST:PO Box 457Mitcham Vic 3132WEB-SITE:www.nlife.com.auREGISTERED OFFICE:56 Rutland Rd,Box Hill Vic 3128

NEW LIFE – 27 November 2008 – Page Twenty Three

WITH CHRIST: REMEMBER WHEN ...

I WOULD LIKE A SUBSCRIPTION TONew Life Christian Newspaper

for the price (inc GST) of:Annual Subscription (posted fortnightly, 23 issues): $50 ( )Concession Sub (f/t Christian workers, students,

Social Service recipients): $45 ( )Half-year Sub (posted fortnightly 11 issues): $25 ( )Half-year Concession sub $22.50 ( )E-mail subscription (23 issues) $25 ( )

I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO MAKE A DONATION TO ASSIST ʻNEW LIFEʼ $ .............

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Please tick appropriate box(es)This is a NEW subscription ( ) This is a subscription RENEWAL ( )I enclose a cheque/money order for $............. orPlease debit my Mastercard/Visacard Please debit my credit card automatically each quarter for $12.50 ( )

No. _______ ________ ________ _______Expiry date _____/_____ Signature _______________________Name: _______________________________Address: _____________________________________________________________________ Postcode: ______ Phone: ( ) ______________Email address:

Sherwood Eliot Wirt,Christian Journalist and Author.DR Sherwood Eliot Wirt, a former newspa-perman who was founding editor ofDecision magazine and the author of 42books including Billy: A Personal Look atBilly Graham, passed away in his sleep on8 November.

A long-time associate of Billy Graham,‘Woody’ (as his friends called him) was bornin 1911 and served as a chaplain in the USAir Force, pastored several churches, andheld PhD's in theology and psychology fromthe University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

Dr Wirt was originally a newspaper jour-nalist, but eventually became the foundingeditor of Decision, a monthly magazinewhich Billy Graham established in the1960s and which is still in circulation today.In 1978 he founded the San Diego ChristianWriters Guild.

Dr Wirt is known to have ministered andtravelled with Dr Graham for nearly 40years. As a friend, Dr Wirt knew Mr Grahamintimately and not just as a public figure.

– Michael Ireland, Chief Correspondent,ASSIST News Service

A bright Remember When? morn-ing was celebrated at WilliamstownChurch of Christ recently.

Participants included Mrs EdnaAldersley, pictured with husbandGeorge. Edna has attended thechurch for some 82 years and sheremembers activity as a girl backin the 20s. Husband George, at93, was the oldest member of thechurch family present.They are pictured with an honourboard featuring people and eventsfrom the church past which was unveiled.

Edna Aldersley cut a birthday cake,aided in the event by Stella Hayes, with 56years membership behind her.

Two people with significant membershipof the Williamstown Church are Mrs JaniceTurner, nee Dorgan, and the Rev Ken Duffy,who travelled from Western Australia for theevent.

Mrs Turner’s late mother, Betty Dorganwas the first woman on the church board, inyears in which men dominated the posi-tions. Ken Duffy, who contributed a brightspeech of memories at the program, told ofattending from when he was a boy of eight.

At 15 he ventured to make a speechwhen attending Williamstown High andstood up, stuttering. The church encour-aged him and he went on to be an ordainedminister. He has now been 22 years at theValley Church of Christ in Middle Swan inPerth.

Mrs Janet Pearson, a former Mayoressof Williamstown, interviewed some guestsof long experience.

Current church leader the Rev LynetteLeach introduced Willin Wimmin, a choir of17 ladies who sang songs which includedmoving low notes.

– Larry Noyes

LAPTHORNE, Jean Olivette(nee Payne) – Dearly loved wifeof Arthur (dec), passed away on12 November 2008, one dayshort of her 85th birthday.

She died peacefully in hersleep and is sadly missed by herdaughter Helen (and PhilipWoodall) and grandchildrenElizabeth, Amanda (and MartinCarruthers), Richard (and Amy)and Owen Woodall.

A Thanksgiving Service forthe life of Jean Lapthorne washeld at Blackburn North UnitingChurch on Thursday 20 November. APrivate Cremation was held earli-er.

ʻIn God's Careʼ.

Page Twenty Four – 27 November 2008 – NEW LIFE

‘NEW LIFE’ – AUSTRALIA’S CHRISTIAN NEWSPAPER

IT wasn’t what many couples would con-sider the perfect way to spend three weeksaway from work. But for Glen and CarmenRyan of Shoalhaven Heads, on the NSWSouth Coast, three weeks on the world’slargest private hospital ship docked for tenmonths in what is regarded as one of theworld’s poorest nations was, for them, ‘aprivilege to be there’.

Carmen, with a background in oph-thalmic and geriatric nursing, and Glen, aschool teacher with skills in computermanagement, heard about the work beingdone by volunteers serving with MercyShips and decided to offer themselves forshort-term service. ‘We heard about it fromanother local, Paula Smith, who spent fourweeks onboard the Africa Mercy, and whonow serves with her husband as represen-tatives for the charity in the region’, Glensays.

‘Carmen wanted for some time to useher nursing skills in missionary work, andnews of Mercy Ships was the perfect solu-tion. We’ve both been involved in somemissionary work in Papua New Guineaand Jamaica in the past. To prepare betterfor what was expected of Carmen as amember of the eye surgery team duringthe ship’s current assignment to Liberia,she did some extra training at the SydneyEye Hospital’. Glen did extra work at thelocal gym to ensure he could cope with themany staircases onboard the ship, whichaccommodates a crew of 450.

‘Most of our friends were very encour-aging about our plans to go. Non-Christian friends thought we were greatpeople for doing such a thing, but ofcourse as Christians we believed it wasjust something we were able to do for theLord. Mercy Ships volunteers serve on theprinciple of following the example of Jesusto bring hope and healing to the world’sforgotten poor. And that’s all we felt wewere trying to do’.

While Carmen was busy using hernursing skills, Glen used his computer ex-pertise to help keep the ship’s computersystem functioning smoothly. He says: ‘Itwas pretty mundane work that the long-term volunteers onboard simply don’t getthe time to do’.

Like so many who visit Liberia, strug-gling to recover from years of civil war andpoverty, Carmen and Glen described theexperience as something they had not wit-nessed in other developing nations theyhad visited. ‘You have to be there to getany real perspective of the effects of thewar on the lives of the people and the des-perate conditions they survive in. Healthfacilities are almost non-existent, and thereis a huge need for upgrading the country’sinfrastructure of power supply, water,waste management, sewage and roads. Itmakes us more aware of the way we takefor granted the things we enjoy in Aus-tralia. In a way it makes us feel very self-ish. We have so much’, they have nothing’.

The couple described the work of Mer-cy Ships, providing a range of free medicaland community development services tothe poor, as something of a privilege to bea part of, even for the short time of theirtrip. They will consider returning in thefuture. ‘It amazed us to see so many peo-ple from so many countries of the worldcoming together with so many diverse giftsand talents, and using them with such ded-ication and professionalism. They did itsimply to demonstrate God’s love andcompassion’.

Mercy Ships is an international Chris-tian charity that has operated hospitalships in developing nations since 1978.Mercy Ships offers a range of health andcommunity development services free of

charge. Highly skilled surgeons on boardthe ships perform thousands of operationseach year to correct disability, disfigure-ment and blindness. Medical and dentalteams travel the countries and establishclinics to provide vaccination programs,dental treatment and basic health care forthose with no access to these facilities.Local community health workers receivetraining in hygiene, nutrition and diseaseprevention.

Mercy Ships builds hospitals, clinics,training facilities and basic housing wherenone exist. Agricultural projects help re-plenish livestock in war-torn areas andboost food production. Working in partner-ship with local people, Mercy Ships em-powers communities to help themselves.The result is a way out of poverty.

The emphasis is on the needs of theworld’s poorest nations in West Africa,where the hospital ship Africa Mercy pro-vides the platform for services extendingup to ten months at a time. A permanentland-based program operates in SierraLeone, while teams also work in severalnations of Central America and the Carib-bean. Mercy Ships has 14 support officesaround the world, including the Australianoffice at Caloundra, on the QueenslandSunshine Coast. For more information goto: www.mercyships.org.au

Glen and Carmen live at ShoalhavenHeads, NSW, where they worship with theNowra Baptist Church.

Using Their Skills To Serve Others

I’ve just returned from an extraordinary trip to Jordanwhere, along with some other journalists from the UnitedStates, I was able to see some of the religious sites ofJordan and can recommend it for Christians who want totake a walk through the Bible there, or even take acamel or donkey ride as well to visit the many sights.

Jordan is a modern country with an ancient culture, aland of which visitors can walk through the valleys, hillsand plains whose names have become part of humanhistory by virtue of the simple deeds and profound mes-sages of prophets who walked the land and crossed itsrivers during their lives.

Many of the sites where they are said to have per-formed miracles or reached out to ordinary people havebeen identified, excavated and protected, and are nowmore easily accessible to visitors.

Jordan is an ideal destination for those seeking cul-tural knowledge and spiritual enrichment. Jordan valuesits ethnically and religiously diverse population, conse-quently providing for the cultural rights of all its citizens.This spirit of tolerance and appreciation is one of thecentral elements contributing to the stable and peacefulcultural climate flourishing within Jordan. More than 92%of Jordanians are Sunni Muslims and approximately 6%are Christians.

The majority of Christians belong to the GreekOrthodox Church, but there are also Greek Catholics, asmall Roman Catholic community, Syrian Orthodox,Coptic Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and a fewProtestant denominations. Several small Shi'a andDruze populations can also be found in Jordan.HERE ARE SOME OF THE SITES MENTIONED INBOTH OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS:Bethany Beyond The JordanA must for Christian pilgrims is the one located on thebanks of the River Jordan. It is the site of John theBaptist's settlement at Bethany Beyond the Jordan,where Jesus was baptized, and has long been knownfrom the Bible (John 1.28 and 10.40) and from theByzantine and medieval texts.

It is said to be the birthplace of Christianity and islocated in what was once a minefield.

The site has now been identified on the east bank ofthe Jordan River, in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,and is being systematically surveyed, excavated,restored, and prepared to receive pilgrims and visitors.Bethany Beyond the Jordan is located half an hour bycar from the Jordanian capital Amman.

Our group followed part of the pilgrimage route theearly pilgrims followed that took them to the JordanRiver, and Mount Nebo.

The area is also associated with the biblical accountof the Prophet Elijah ascending to Heaven in a whirlwindon a chariot offire.Mount NeboI had the privi-lege of visitingMount Nebo’swindsweptpromontory,which overlooksthe Dead Sea,the Jordan RiverValley, Jericho and the distant hills of Jerusalem, andwhere Moses viewed the Holy Land of Canaan that hewould never enter. He died and was buried in Moab, ‘inthe valley opposite Beth-peor’. His tomb remainsunknown. After consulting the Oracle, Jeremiah report-edly hid the Ark of the Covenant, the Tent and the Altarof Incense at Mount Nebo.

Mount Nebo became a place of pilgrimage for earlyChristians from Jerusalem and a small church was builtthere in the 4th Century to commemorate the end ofMoses' life. Some of the stones from that church remainin their original place in the wall around the apse area.The church was subsequently expanded in the 5th and6th Centuries into the present-day large basilica with itsstunning collection of Byzantine mosaics.

The serpentine Cross, which stands just outside thesanctuary, is symbolic of the bronze (or brazen) serpenttaken by Moses into the desert and the cross uponwhich Jesus was crucified.

(Continued on Page 26)

Take A Walk Through The Bible (And History) In Jordan(You Can Also Take A Camel Or Donkey Ride As Well)

By Dan Wooding, Founder of ASSIST Ministries

NEW LIFE EXTRA:

NEW LIFE – 27 November 2008 – Page Twenty Five

Dan Wooding and friend at Petra.

NEW LIFE – 27 November – 2008 Page Twenty Six

(Continued from Page 25)The Mount Nebo visit was not without humour, for on

Monday, 10 November, while doing a stand-up piece tocamera, I did a double take as I spotted a young manwho looked like a young Barack Obama, standing near-by. What was confusing was that I thought thePresident-to-be was at the White House with his wifeMichelle, being shown around by George and LauraBush!

The young ‘Obama’ was squinting his eyes as hesaw spread out before him what Moses had seen allthose years ago after wandering the desert for 40 years.The geography was a little different to what Moses sawat the age of 120, for this young man could see Bethle-hem, Jericho and even Jerusalem. Suddenly, one of hisfriends caught my eye and said: ‘Do you think he lookslike Barack Obama?’

I had to agree that he did look a little like a youngerBarack and so I decided to interview him. It turned outthat he was a Jordanian student and so I asked him ifhe had thought of a new career as a Barack lookalike.He laughed and said: ‘I hadn’t thought of it, but it mightbe a way to earn some money to help pay for my col-lege fees’.AmmanThe Jordanian capital, Amman, and its surroundingregions is referred to in the Bible as Ammon, or theAmmonite Kingdom, and was famous for its springs andcitadel. This is the place where the Biblical story ofDavid and Goliath (Uriah the Hittite) took place. Themassive fortifications, where David, an ancestor ofJesus, brought about Uriah’s death so that he couldmarry his widow Bathsheba, are still standing.GadaraThe old Decapolis city of Gadara (modern-day UmmQays), with its spectacular panoramic views overlookingthe Sea of Galilee, is the site of Jesus’ miracle of theGadarene swine. It is here that He encountered a de-mented man who lived in the tombs near the entrance tothe city, Jesus cast the bad spirits out of the man andinto a herd of pigs, which then ran down the hill into thewaters of the Sea of Galilee and drowned.

A rare five-aisled basilica from the 4th Century wasrecently discovered and excavated at Umm Qays. It hasbeen built directly over a Roman-Byzantine tomb andhas a view into the tomb from the interior of the church.It is also located alongside the old Roman city gate on

the road from the Sea of Galilee. Everything about thisdistinctive arrangement of a church above a tomb at thisparticular place, strongly indicates that it was designedand built to commemorate the very spot where the By-zantine faithful believed Jesus performed His miracle.MadabaMadaba and its hinterlands were repeatedly mentionedin the Old Testament. Then it was known as Medebaand it featured in narratives related to Moses and theExodus, David’s war against the Moabites, Isaiah’s ora-cle against Moab and King Mesha of Moab’s rebellionagainst Israel.

Between the 4th and 7th Centuries AD, the prosper-ous ecclesiastical centre of Madaba produced one of theworld’s finest collections of Byzantine mosaics, manyfine examples of which are well preserved. Severalchurch floor mosaics can be seen in their original loca-tions, while other have been moved for protection anddisplayed in the Madaba Archaeological Park.

Madaba’s real masterpiece, in the Orthodox Churchof Saint George, is the 6th Century AD mosaic map ofJerusalem and the Holy Land – the earliest religiousmap of the Holy Land in any form to survive from antiq-uity.The Pillar Of Salt By The Dead SeaThe Dead Sea is one of the most dramatic places onearth, with its stunning natural environment equallymatched by its powerful spiritual symbolism.

The infamous Sodom and Gomorrah and other citiesof the Dead Sea plain, (or Cities of the Valley) were thesubjects of some of the most dramatic and enduring OldTestament stories, including that of Lot, whose wife wasturned into a pillar of salt for disobeying God’s will.Dan Reports From The Pillar Of SaltI did another stand-up with the ‘Pillar of Salt’ toweringabove me on a cliff that overlooks the Dead Sea. Itprobably was not Lot’s Wife, who looked back, but cer-tainly was quite spectacular and a lesson for all of us tonot look back but to move forward.

Lot and his two daughters survived and fled to acave near the small town of Zoar (modern-day Safi).The Bible says Lot’s daughters gave birth to sons whosedescendents would become the Ammonite and Moabitepeople, whose kingdoms were in what is now centralJordan.

(Continued on Page 27)

NEW LIFE EXTRA:

NEW LIFE – 27 November 2008 – Page Twenty Seven

NEW LIFE EXTRA:Although not confirmed, the sites of the cities of

Sodom and Gomorrah are believed to be the remains ofthe ancient walled towns of Bab ed-Dhra’ and Numeira,in the southeastern Dead Sea central plain. On a hillsideabove the town of Zoar (modern-day Safi), ByzantineChristians built a church and monastery dedicated toSaint Lot. The complex was built around the cave whereLot and his daughters found refuge.Umm ar-RasasHere you can find a rectangular walled city, about 30kilometers southeast of Madaba, which is mentioned inboth the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. It wasfortified by the Romans, and local Christians were stillembellishing it with Byzantine-style mosaics well over100 years after the start of the Muslim Umayyad rule.

Just outside the city walls is the recently unearthedChurch of Saint Stephen with its perfectly preserved out-standing mosaic floor, the largest of its kind to be dis-covered in Jordan and second only to the world famousmosaic map at Madaba.The Kings HighwayThe Kings Highway is the world’s oldest continuouslyused communication route. It linked ancient Bashan,Giliad and Ammon in the north with Moab, Edom, Paranand Midian in the south.

Abraham, a common patriarch of Jews, Christiansand Muslims, who passed through northern, central andsouthern Jordan, would certainly have used this route onhis journey from Mesopotamia to Canaan.

Moses asked the King of Edom if he and his peoplecould ‘go along the Kings Highway’ during their journeyto Canaan, but his request was refused. The KingsHighway is also mentioned in an earlier story in Genesis14.5-8, in relation to the four Kings from the north, whoattacked Sodom and Gomorrah and the three otherCities of the Plain.PetraWithout a doubt, Petra, the ancient rock city, in present-day Jordan, known to the Arabs as Wadi Musa for thestream that flows through it, is the most visited site inthe country and is now listed as one of the SevenWonders of the World.

A narrow, winding pass between towering walls leadsto the open plain upon which stood the ancient city. Theplain is surrounded by hills in which tombs have beencarved in the pink sandstone. The site includes some800 structures, the best known of which is the Khazneh

el-Farun (or so-called Pharoah's Treasury), a mau-soleum, monument, or temple with a two-story facadeand Hellenistic split pediment.

Petra was occupied by the Edomites (see Edom)and by the Nabataeans (an Arab tribe; see Nabataea),who had their capital there from the 4th Century BC untilthe Roman occupation in AD 106. The city is referred toas Sela in the Bible (2 Kings 14.7). It was for many cen-turies the focal point of a vast caravan trade but de-clined with the rise of Palmyra; however, it remained areligious center of Arabia. Under the Romans in the 2ndand 3rd Centuries it was included in the province ofArabia Petraea. An early seat of Christianity, it was con-quered by the Muslims in the 7th Century and in the12th Century was captured by the Crusaders, who builta citadel there. Petra was unknown to the Western worlduntil its ruins were visited by Johann Burckhardt in 1812.

During the Exodus, Moses and the Israelites passedthrough the Petra area in Edom. Local tradition says thatthe spring at Wadi Musa (Valley of Moses), just outsidePetra, is the place where Moses struck the rock andbrought forth water (Numbers 20.10-11).

Aaron, the brother of Moses and Miriam, died in Jor-dan and was buried in Petra at Mount Hor, now calledJabal Harun in Arabic (Mount Aaron). A Byzantinechurch and later an Islamic shrine/tomb of Aaron werebuilt on the summit of the mountain, which today attractspilgrims from all over the world.

Petra was almost certainly the last staging post ofthe three kings, who took frankincense, gold and myrrhto honour the baby Jesus in Bethlehem (Matthew 2.1-12).Wadi RumT.E. Lawrence – Lawrence of Arabia – once describedWadi Rum as ‘vast, echoing and god-like’. He was writ-ing about the maze of monolithic rockscapes rising upfrom the desert floor; imposing, towering rocks andcrags – God’s skyscrapers – that are all over this stu-pendous and timeless area of Jordan.

Time seemed to stand still as we saw the tents andcamels of the Bedouins of the area who still practise asemi-nomadic lifestyle, grazing their flocks of sheep andgoats for months at a time before packing up their goat'shair tents and moving on to better pastures.

Then we were treated to a cup of tea by our Bedouindrivers who found pieces of wood and then started a fire

(Continued on Page 28)

(Continued from Pge 27)despite the high winds sweeping through the area andboiled the water for the team in their blackened teapots.

T.E. Lawrence, in his book Seven Pillars of Wisdomwrote: ‘Our little caravan grew self-conscious and felldead quiet, afraid and ashamed to flaunt its smallness inthe presence of the stupendous hills’. I felt just thesame. Just traveling through this incredible area, onecan only marvel at God’s breathtaking creation.

Then came the highlight of the whole experience andwe watched the sun quickly dip below the rocks andthen a full moon appeared. It wasn’t long before youcould see literally thousands of stars, some with a faintglow and others shining brightly and glistening. It waslike watching a tapestry of celestial spheres.

In a world of so much hate, violence and ugliness,Wadi Rum provided for me, an incredible experience ofdrawing closer to God and marveling at His creation.And by the way, much of David Lean’s epic 1962 movieLawrence of Arabia starring Peter O Toole, Alec Guinessand Omar Sharif was filmed on location in Wadi Rum.

One Jordanian leader told me on a previous visit:‘Jordan is the birthplace of Christianity, and Christiansshould come and visit its Biblical sites.

‘We have in this country some of the most reveredand some of the most important sites in the Christianreligion. In fact, you can say that Jordan is where theChristian religion actually started – at the baptismal site[at Bethany Beyond the Jordan] where the Holy Spiritcame down on Jesus when He was baptized by JohnThe Baptist. This is where the ministry of Jesus beganand it can be found on the east side of the Jordan Riverin Jordan.

‘Other than that, we have many more biblical sites ifyou want go over a much longer span of the history ofChristianity and Judaism. They are in Jordan rather thanin what is now properly called the Holy Land’.

I agree wholeheartedly with that he said. Jordan isoften forgotten by pilgrims today, but after visiting somany of these sites I can say: ‘Take your own “walkthrough the Bible” there. It will be a spiritual experiencethat you will never forget!’

NEW LIFE EXTRA:

NEW LIFE – 27 November 2008 – Page Twenty Eight

New Life Needs YOU!� Uphold Us In Prayer � Encourage Others To Subscribe � Advertise With Us

FACED with persecution, hardship and danger, manyChristians are continuing to live in countries like Iraq inorder to win their neighbours for Christ.

They are in urgent need of intercession, said thefounder of the international agency Open Doors,‘Brother Andrew’, at an Open-Doors-Day in Marburg,Germany, on 15 November.

The 80-year-old Anne van der Bijl, whose covername as a Bible smuggler was Brother Andrew, told the1,500 participants that persecuted Christians needed theassurance that they are remembered and supported intheir efforts to reach out with the Gospel even to theirenemies.

Brother Andrew encouraged Christians to pray alsofor those who persecute their brethren: ‘Our perceptionchanges when we see them through the eyes of Jesusand start to pray for them’.

Christ's love does not stop short of the radical andmilitant Taliban in Afghanistan. Brother Andrew has per-sonally baptized former Taliban. He has also met withleaders of radical Islamic groups like Hamas and Hez-bollah and brought them the Gospel.

A 26-year-old Christian woman from Pakistan, whoappeared veiled for security reasons, informed the con-ference participants about the situation of Muslimwomen. She has repeatedly been threatened with deathfor her social ministry.

Women who have converted from Islam are oftenkept like prisoners, she said. They could also faceforced marriage with a Muslim. These women wereoften forgotten. She is about to return to Pakistan withher husband to minister to female converts. Open Doorsassists persecuted and discriminated Christians in 50countries. – Wolfgang Polzer, ASSIST News Service

Christ Even Loves The Taliban – Pray For The Persecuted And The Persecutors– Open Doors Founder, Brother Andrew