Songs of Praise Shows Trad Hymns Still Popular Sunday 13 October Saw 530 People Embrace the Beauty of Praise to Our God at Belgrave Heights Convention Centre

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1 November 2019 Vol 82 No 9 Free On Request: [email protected] Songs Of Praise Shows Trad Hymns Still Popular Sunday 13 October saw 530 people embrace the beauty of praise to our God at Belgrave Heights Convention Centre. The Christian community is greatly blessed with musical talent and this year Steve Messer’s group Strange Country were true to the Songs Of Praise advertising brochure: ‘… Strange Country brings their lively musical and conversational interplay, full-bodied vocal harmonising and songs rich in stories about life’s joys and struggles, hard times, high hopes and the triumph of faith anchored in Jesus Christ.’ Brienne Gawler, very gifted oboist, thrilled the audience with her items. When Sally Minett, the compere, introduced Brienne to the audience, she read out a list of honours and awards that Brienne has received. Among them was winning the prestigious John Gaitskell Mensa Prize (2017) and the Gilbert Glausiuss Competition in New Zealand (2018). Brienne was accompanied on the piano by Nathan Glenn. But maybe the greatest joy was the community singing of the great hymns of faith. There was a theme running through the songs and it was reminding us all that we need to lift our eyes Heaven-ward, for that is where our home is. Praise The Lord The King Of Creation; O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing My Great Redeemer’s Praise; Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah; Standing On The Promises Of God; My Faith Has Found A Resting Place; By Faith We See The Hand Of God; There Is A Higher Throne; Thine Be The Glory, Risen Conquering Son. And a closing hymn to raise the vital question at the end of the afternoon: When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder, I’ll Be There. Will you? – Al Watson Take A Test Run Of New Program For Seniors Q4 is preparing to launch a sevensession course, Engaging Q4, written by Dr Graham Leo, and is seeking pilot participants in Melbourne, Sydney and the Gold Coast. The sevensession course aims to help Australian Christians to reimagine their lives in their Fourth Quarter. It’s built around seven spiritual disciplines designed to help participants to prepare for this new phase of life. The first discipline is Forgive And Reconcile, the second, Let Things Go; Relinquish Burdens And Barnacles. The course is being piloted in Sydney (led by Keith Farmer), Melbourne (led by Paul Arnott), and the Gold Coast (led by Graham Leo). If you would like to dig a little into the topic, in the company of some other people on their Q4 journey, while helping to give the course material a test run, please contact Paul Arnott ([email protected]) to register your interest. ‘Tell the people the full message of this new life’ – Acts 5.20b www.nlife.com.au VOLUME 82 NUMBER 9

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FILE NO: NL 2019-11-01 But What About The Christians, Marise? Full marks to Australia’s Foreign Minister, Marise Payne, for calling ISSN: 1033-7903 out the Chinese government over the persecution of activists and Uigur Muslims – and indeed for being prepared to incur the wrath of the Chinese FOUNDER: government on that account. Eric J. Daley (1910-1992) But what about the Christians of China? During a brief window of opportunity, oppression and persecution were somewhat relaxed, but Chris- EDITOR: tians in China are now enduring government crackdowns, curtailment Rev Bob Thomas and outright persecution to a greater degree than hitherto. Phone: 0417 592 646 Don’t Christians matter? More persecuted than ever in many parts of Email: [email protected] Postal Address: the world, our government is deafeningly silent when it comes to taking PO Box 457 up the cause of our persecuted brethren. Mitcham VIC 3132 PLEASE Minister, ‘speak out for the dumb’ – in this case for Christians who in response to the injunctions of Scripture seek to be good citizens OFFICE MANAGER: of whichever country God has placed them in and who pray for ‘all people, Rachael Maskell for rulers and all those in authority, that (they) may live peaceful and quiet Phone: 0415 612 646 lives in all godliness and holiness.’ Those who persecute Christians are Email: [email protected] doing damage to themselves and denying greater good to their other citizens. Help them to see their foolishness. – Bob Thomas WEB-SITE: www.nlife.com.au On A Brighter Note ... Prime Minister Scott Morrison promoted the power of prayer at the SUBSCRIPTION: recent National Prayer Breakfast in Parliament House, Canberra, in a fur- Free On Request ther demonstration that he is perhaps the most religiously motivated prime minister of the modern era. ACCEPTANCE OF Mr Morrison said prayer could bring about nonpartisan unity by re- ADVERTISING minding MPs of their vulnerability and humanity. And he quoted an Amer- DOES NOT IMPLY ican preacher he met in Washington as saying ‘the only prayers that you ENDORSEMENT. can be assured are never answered, are the ones that are never prayed’. ‘I think that’s true and it’s a reminder of the importance of prayer,’ the Prime NEW LIFE RESERVES Minister said. THE RIGHT TO REJECT ADVERTISING DEEMED He and his wife are members of a prominent Sydney Pentecostal UNSUITABLE. church, and on his recent visit to Washington, Mr Morrison attended a community church that was established in the mid-1990s using vacant PUBLISHED BY: movie theatres. ‘While I was in Washington we went along to a wonderful New Life Australia Ltd church there, the National Capital Community Church, the church of Pas- tor Mark Batterson’, he told the meeting. ABN: 15 005 035 138 ‘What I like about prayer and what is so important about us coming together in our Parliament and praying, is prayer gives us a reminder of our NOTE TO CONTRIBUTORS: humility and our vulnerability – and that forms a unity,’ he said, because New Life is archived by the there’s certainly one thing we all have in common, whether we sit in the National Library of Australia. green or red chairs in this place, or anywhere else, and that is our human It is assumed that contributors agree with this arrangement and so frailty, our human vulnerability. Faith, religion, is actually first and fore- are willing to be published on this most an expression of our human frailty and vulnerability and an under- basis. standing that there are things far bigger than each of us. When we come together in prayer, we are reminded of that, and we are reminded that the great challenges we face in this world are ones that we need to continue to bring up in prayer.’ (Extracted from Eternity News) NEW LIFE – 1 November 2019 – Page Two NEW LIFE ADVERTISING

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NEW LIFE – 1 November 2019 – Page Three THE WORK GOES ON Ethiopia’s Evangelical Prime Minister Wins Nobel Peace Prize Recognized for stewarding a breakthrough peace agreement with Eritrea with a ‘revivalist’ spirit, Abiy Ahmed also helped end a historic church schism among the Orthodox. Less than two years since taking office, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has helped Ethiopia achieve the kind of peace and reconciliation once deemed impossible, including resolving a border conflict with its East African neighbour Eritrea. His efforts earned him the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Committee stated, ‘… even if much work remains, Abiy Ahmed has initiated important reforms that give many citizens hope for a better life and a brighter future.’ At 43 years old, Ahmed is Africa’s youngest leader. He made quick and deliberate efforts toward reform when he took office in April 2018. Ahmed signed a peace accord with President Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea last year, after decades of political stalemate and two years of violence that cost 80,000 lives along the border. The two countries have grown increasingly open to one another, with resumed air travel and telecommunications, the New York Times reported. The prize announcement commended his leadership, saying: ‘He spent his first 100 days as Prime Minister lifting the country’s state of emergency, granting amnesty to thousands of political prisoners, discontinuing media censorship, legalizing outlawed opposition groups, dismissing military and civilian leaders who were suspected of corruption, and significantly increasing the influence of women in Ethiopian political and community life. He has also pledged to strengthen democracy by holding free and fair elections.’ Ahmed also helped reconcile two branches of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, which split for political reasons in 1991. Orthodox represent the largest religious group in the country (around 40% of the population, compared to 19% Protestant and 34% Muslim). He fostered reconciliation between Mus- lims and Christians in his hometown of Beshasha while a member of parliament and immediately began meeting with Abune Mathias, the Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church as prime minister, offering his support to help end the schism. – Kate Shellnutt, Christian Today

Register Online at: www.capernwrayaustralia.org/events NEW LIFE – 1 November 2019 – Page Four MATTERS FOR PRAYER with Elizabeth Kendal SYRIA: Chaos Unleashed; Christians Imperilled BACKGROUND: In July 2012 the Syrian government withdrew its armed forces from the north-east so it might concentrate its war effort in the west, in particular, the north-south Damascus-Aleppo corridor. As explained in After Saturday Comes Sunday, 'the Syrian Kurds exploited the opportunity afforded them by the Syrian Arab Army’s withdrawal to carve out an autonomous region in the north-east. President Assad made no effort to rein in the Syrian Kurds, not simply because he was focused on securing the west, but because he knew that Kurdish empowerment would threaten and distract nemesis Turkey which was hosting rebel bases, arming and training rebel fighters and facil- itating their entrance into Syria to fight the Syrian government.' (Excerpt from my book After Saturday Comes Sun day: Understanding The Christian Crisis In The Middle East, Wipf and Stock, Eugene, OR, USA, 2016, p.151.) In short: Damascus permitted Kurdish empowerment as a bulwark against belligerent Turkey. No surprise there. However, when the US (Obama administration) decided in 2014 to use the Kurds as proxies against the Islamic State – thereby further empowering the Kurds – Turkey was furious. Turkey, which has facilitated the entry into Syria of thousands of transnational Islamic jihadists from its side of the border, was never going to tolerate the presence of PKK-linked Kurdish nationalist militants on the Syrian side of the border, on the grounds that it would pose a threat to Turkey's national security. Turkey has been talking about invading northern Syria for well over 18 months. When the mostly Kurdish city of Afrin, about 45km north-west of Aleppo, fell to Turkish forces and their jihadist allies in March 2018 it was quickly ethnically-religiously cleansed of all Kurds and Christians in Turkey's Operation Olive Branch. At that time, Turkey's President Erdogan expressed his intention to extend his control 'all the way to the Iraq border'. Erdogan then set his sights on Manbij, 90km north-east of Aleppo. In order to stop the Turkish advance, the US brokered the 'Manbij Roadmap', in which the US agreed to facilitate the removal of all YPG elements from the strategic city of Manbij. The deal, however, was never implemented. Now, 18 months down the track, the Battle For Manbij (stage one in the war for northern Syria) has commenced. CHAOS UNLEASHED On Saturday 5 October Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened that, since the US has not fulfilled its promise to remove Kurdish YPG 'terrorists' from Manbij, Turkey will take matters into its own hands and launch a unilateral invasion east of the Euphrates 'as soon as today or tomorrow'. On Sunday 6 October US President Donald Trump issued a statement clarifying that the US 'will not support or be involved in the [Turkish] operation', adding that, if Turkey invades northern Syria, it will then be 'responsible for all ISIS fighters captured over the past two years'. Turkey's threat set up a scenario in which US troops would find themselves positioned in between their anti- IS proxies (PKK-linked Kurds) and their belligerent NATO ally (terror-sponsor Turkey). On Monday 7 October President Trump ordered the withdrawal of the roughly 50 US troops stationed in observation posts on the Syrian border. In the coming weeks around 1,000 US troops will be withdrawn from Syria, leaving some 150 US soldiers stationed in the southern base of Al Tanf near the borders with Jordan and Iraq. According to reports, some residual US troops have also been positioned south of Manbij. President Trump made it clear that if Turkey behaves badly, the US will respond with crippling sanctions. On Wednesday 9 October Turkish troops crossed into Syria, launching Operation Peace Spring. Turkey has been shelling border towns – from Kobani to Qamishli – knocking out infrastructure, killing and wounding while displacing hundreds of thousands of residents. Images have emerged showing Turkish-backed Islamic militants executing civilians, including journalists and Kurdish female politician Hevrin Khalaf (35). Re- sponding to the carnage, US President Donald Trump ended talks on a US-Turkey trade deal he valued at US$100 billion and re-imposed tariffs of 50% on Turkish steel. By Monday 14 October Russia had brokered a deal between the Kurds and the Syrian government which immediately deployed the Syrian Arab Army north to 'confront the Turkish aggression'. After more than seven years, the Syrian Government is back in the north-east. Images have emerged of Kurds and others welcoming the SAA troops. By Monday night 14 October the SAA was in Manbij to support the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in a battle against the Turkey-backed jihadists amassing around the city in preparation for war. Russian troops are now patrolling the territory separating Turkish-backed militants and SAA-backed Kurdish troops in Manbij. Turkey's moves will drive a wedge between Ankara and Moscow and possibly shatter the Ankara-Moscow- Tehran axis. Denouncing Turkey's invasion as 'unacceptable', Russia has opened 'real time' negotiations between Ankara and Damascus. As one analyst observes: 'Turkey stands in splendid isolation' and will soon be 'joining Saudi Arabia as a fallen angel in the Beltway'. (Continued on Page Six)

NEW LIFE – 1 November 2019 – Page Five MATTERS FOR PRAYER with Elizabeth Kendal CHRISTIANS IMPERILLED Please Pray That The Lord Will: (Continued from Page Five) • intervene to protect, preserve and sustain His precious According to Bassam Ishak, president of the Syriac Church in Syria and across Mesopotamia; may all who National Council of Syria, Turkey's shelling of border seek her demise be frustrated; may their plots come to towns is putting the lives of some 40,000 to 50,000 nought. Christians at risk. Christians have already been killed 'Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, in Ras el-Ain and Qamishli. As Ishak rightly notes, this for in You my soul takes refuge; is pure ethnic cleansing as Turkey's plan in setting up in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge, its 'safe zone' is to replace the Kurdish and Assyrian till the storms of destruction pass by. population with some two million Syrian Arab I cry out to God Most High, to God refugees currently resident in Turkey. According to who fulfils His purpose for me.' (Psalm 57.1,2 ESV) Dale Gavlac (on 15 October), 'Christians and other re- • answer His people’s prayer:'But my eyes are toward ligious minorities said they feel particularly vulnera- You, O God, my Lord; in You I seek refuge; leave me not ble as Turkish artillery targeted a predominantly defenceless! Keep me from the trap that they have laid Christian neighbourhood in Qamishli, the largest city for me and from the snares of evildoers! Let the wicked in north-eastern Syria.' The Turkish bombing has al- fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely.' (Psalm ready created a humanitarian crisis; in particular, the 141.8-10 ESV) A'louk water station is now out of service, leaving • intervene to rescue His people, provide all their needs some 400,000 residents without water. and 'work [all things] together for good for those who are With no choice but to confront the Turkish inva called according to His purpose' (Romans 8.28 ESV). sion, SDF fighters are abandoning their posts at key 'The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous prisons and camps housing some 12,000 IS fighters, and His ears toward their cry. some 4,000 IS women and over 8,000 children. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, Amidst Turkish bombardment, prisoners attacked to cut off the memory of them from the Earth. guards at the Ain Issa camp (55km north of Ar- When the righteous cry for help, Raqqah), enabling 785 relatives of IS jihadists to es- the Lord hears and delivers them cape. out of all their troubles. Christians in Syria's far north are today imperilled The Lord is near to the brokenhearted not only from an aggressive Turkish military and its and saves the crushed in spirit.' jihadist proxies, but also from a resurgent IS (itself a (Psalm 34.1518 ESV) Turkey-Saudi creation). Thousands of Christians are again on the move. Emanuel Youkhana, a priest of the Assyrian Church of the East who administers Christian Aid Program Northern Iraq in Dohuk, told Catholic News Service that he is expecting a new wave of refugees as Assyr- ians flee east from Syria's Hasakah Province to Iraqi Kurdistan.

Elizabeth Kendal is the author of Turn Back The Battle: Isaiah Speaks To Christians Today (Deror Books, Melbourne, Australia, Dec 2012) which offers a Biblical response to persecution and existential threat; and After Saturday Comes Sunday: Understanding The Christian Crisis In The Middle East (Wipf and Stock, Eugene, OR, USA, June 2016). See www.ElizabethKendal.com Help Begins To Flow Into Northern Syria Open Doors, a Christian charity, is responding to immediate and urgent needs in northern Syria after the Turkish invasion. Open Doors is presently assessing the situation on the ground and providing relief and rehabilitation to those afflicted. Immediate relief includes emergency food, shelter, clothing, medical care, and hygiene kits. Longterm, Open Doors partners will continue to help communities rebuild by equipping them with educational support, vocational training, home repair, and trauma counselling. This comes on top of news that US President Donald Trump is committing $50 million in aid for Christians and other mi- nority groups in Syria. David Curry, CEO of Open Doors, told My Christian Daily that Christians in the region are especially vulnerable during the chaos of war, and they are leaving in large numbers. A church pastor in Syria asks Christians to pray for a swift resolution and effective intervention by the international community. – My Christian Daily NEW LIFE – 1 November 2019 – Page Six FAITH NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA ... With Stan Hunt Best-Selling Australian Children’s Author Releases Free Children’s Christmas Book In her new Christmas title, The Who, What, Why, How Of Christmas, Susannah McFarlane asks some key questions about the Christmas story and explores Jesus’ birth through the eyes of four fictional char- acters. The Who, What, Why, How Of Christmas follows the story of Josh, Tom, Grace and Abby as they ask tricky questions familiar to all parents about the meaning of Christmas. McFarlane takes an unconventional approach, by re-telling the story of Creation and The Fall before intro- ducing Mary, the angels and shepherds. It is hoped the book will provide children with a deeper understanding of the reason why Jesus came to earth and what it means for their lives. Susannah says, ‘Having only become a Christian three and a half years ago, I am realising in our post-Christian society, children of Gen X and Gen Y families may never have heard or asked why there was such excitement about the birth of Jesus. This book has been a tremendous privilege to work on. I hope that it inspires young readers to ask questions and explore the Christmas story in a way that will harness their curiosity and create lots of interaction!’ She works on both sides of the industry having been a leading publisher of children’s fiction for many years and now also a cele- brated author, with sales of over one million copies in Australia. The Who, What, Why, How Of Christmas draws on her own faith journey as inspiration. Rev Melissa Lipsett from Bible Society Australia says, ‘It has been a delight to work with Susannah on this wonderful book. The story of God becoming human is not a fairy tale. It is the very heart of the Christian Gospel of grace and love, and its message is for children and adults. Susannah’s wonderful char- acters invite readers to explore this ultimate love story through their own questioning. We hope some parents will even seek out the original telling of Jesus’ birth in the Bible.’ Bible Society Australia is offering The Who, What, Why, How Of Christmas free to individuals and churches who register online. Register at: biblesociety.org.au/whychristmas – Esther Joliffe Young Aussies Experience Increased Stress What’s That You’re Reading? More young people in Australia are experiencing Australian Navy chaplain Miroslav Velebir finds it psychological distress than was the case seven hard to relate to Christians who can’t be bothered years ago, according to a new joint report from Mis- reading the Bible. Born and raised in communist sion Australia and the Black Dog Institute. The re- Czechoslovakia, there wasn’t a solid translation of port shows that almost a quarter of young people the full Bible available in his Slovakian mother aged 15 to 19 said they were experiencing mental tongue. He had a small New Testament that was health challenges in 2018. This was up from 18.7% printed abroad and smuggled into the country. He in 2012. James Toomey, Mission Australia's CEO, found the Bible a perfect conversation starter when described the findings as ‘deeply disturbing’ and asked what he was reading in public places. When said youth mental health is ‘a serious national chal- he eventually received a full Bible, Miroslav em- lenge that must be tackled as a priority. The report, barked on a lifetime of Bible study. He entered the- which drew on the findings of Mission Australia's ological seminary and has since pastored churches. Youth Survey, also shows females were almost After migrating to Australia in 2017, Miroslav twice as likely as males to experience psychological joined the Australian Defence Forces as a Navy distress. The top three issues of personal concern chaplain. Now he says he is doing what he loves for young people with psychological distress were best: sharing the Bible with others. He spends 95% 'coping with stress', 'mental’ and 'school or study of his time dealing with non-Christians and giving problems'. – Mission Australia away Bibles. – Eternity News, biblesociety.org.au Read: The Practicality Of Christianity by David Holden at www.defenceofthefaith.org

NEW LIFE – 1 November 2019 – Page Seven FAITH NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD ... With STAN HUNT Megavoice Makes It To The Museum Of The Bible Among the 3,500 rare and fascinating artifacts in the Museum Of The Bible, near the Capitol in Washington DC, are two special little boxes. Close in size to the height and width of a credit card, these two, small grey boxes are displayed behind glass on the Impact Of The Bible floor, in the Bible In The World exhibit. They represent years of dreaming, planning, testing, and pioneering in pursuit of the world’s first solar-powered audio Bible: MegaVoice. In 1989, Tom Treseder, a Bible Society of Australia leader, wanted to find a solution that would allow the millions of illiterate people around the world to understand the Bible for themselves. Together with other Gospel audio pioneers of the day, Treseder’s Bible Society team began to test every tool available in an attempt to make the Scriptures audibly accessible. They would frequently pack up the devices and send them to the mission field. The results reported were good: people were able to hear God’s Word in their heart language, many for the very first time. But equipment failures were common and electricity was scarce. With the help of Ken Crowell, Treseder’s lifelong ministry partner and electronic technology friend, they would go on to create the world’s first solar-powered audio Bible – the MegaVoice. Today digital audio players are everywhere. The MegaVoice, however, has certain features not found in other commercially available MP3-style audio players. The slightly raised navigation buttons were an early MegaVoice pioneering breakthrough. These enable blind and visually impaired people to indepen- dently operate their MegaVoice. Even amputees and leprosy survivors who may not have the use of their fingers are able to successfully use the MegaVoice. Treseder and Crowell pioneered the two column navigation system in the 1990s which is now imitated by many other Christian technology groups. Finally, the audio files are encrypted. In other words, they can’t be tampered with, recorded over, or lost. MegaVoice audio Bibles are not just available for you to see at the Museum of the Bible. The on-site gift shop is now offering MegaVoice audio Bibles in select languages! Plan to visit Museum Of The Bible on your next trip to Washington, – and be sure to pick up a MegaVoice, your own piece of Bible history.

SAUDI ARABIA: You Can Now Visit, But Beware boat. But when he got there, the villagers wouldn’t let As Saudi Arabia opens to tourists, a travel group is of- him land. Rather than go home, Pastor Veds, who fering a ‘first-ever Christian tour of rare sites.’ The can’t swim, lived on his canoe offshore for five tour promises a close-up look at a controversial loca- months and built relationships. Eventually, he got to tion believed to be the real Mount Sinai – the moun- know one of the village leaders who became curious tain where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. about the God he served. The leader responded to the Saudi Arabia, which has been closed to tourism for Gospel and today there is a thriving Christian com- the last several decades, decided this year to give munity on several islands in the region. tourist visas. Rhonda Sand, owner of travel company – Mission Network News Living Passages, says Saudi is hard at work develop- CHINA: Not Even ThreeSelf Churches Safe ing the country for Western tourism. Living Passages A Chinese church was fined the equivalent of $1,400 is taking a group of 25 people this week through for having a copy of the Bible in a different language, Jethro's Caves in the land of Midian and will visit the according to a religious watchdog. The church in the town held to be where Moses met his wife Zipporah north-east of the country is a member of the officially after fleeing Egypt. But Christian tourists should be recognized Three-Self network of Protestant aware that displaying a Bible in public, or taking more Churches. Chinese Communist Party officials found than one Bible into the country, could place them at copies of South Korean Bibles in the church’s posses- risk of arrest. – Christian Headlines sion – an illegal action that sparked the fine. The THE PHILIPPINES: Patience Bears Fruit church is also prohibited from selling Bibles. The fine A pastor who spent five months living in a canoe off is the latest example of the Communist Party’s crack- islands in the Philppines is now seeing a thriving down on Christianity. All papers, hymnbooks, Gospel Christian community. Pastor Veds Subiaga felt a bur- leaflets, and especially Bibles that weren’t published den to share the Gospel with the people on a group and printed by the state were confiscated and of small, isolated islands. He set out for the islands in burned. Three-Self churches are subject to sudden in- a canoe, a trip that takes 40 minutes in a motorised spections by the government. – Christian Herald NEW LIFE – 1 November 2019 – Page Eight NEW LIFE ADVERTISING

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NEW LIFE – 1 November 2019 – Page Nine PERSECUTION WATCH Worshippers On Their Knees Beg Chinese Riot Police To Halt Demolition Of Church Christians knelt before riot police and begged them in vain to stop tearing down their church building in Anhui province, China, on 18 October. A service was taking place at the officially registered 3,000-seat church in Funan, when the authorities moved in with heavy machinery to begin ripping apart the building. Some members of the congregation fainted and had to be taken to hospital during their peaceful attempts to stop the demolition. The following day, two of the church’s pastors, Geng Yimin and Sun Yongyao, were arrested on suspicion of ‘gathering a crowd to disturb social order’. Officials failed to produce arrest warrants for the church leaders, nor did they provide any legal papers ordering the destruction of the church, which is part of China’s network of state registered ‘Three-Self’ churches. The authorities claimed the area was being ‘renovated’ and sug- gested Christians attend other churches. They also claimed they would rebuild the church elsewhere. In September, the authorities ordered every registered ‘threeself’ church in part of Luoyang city, Henan province, to take down the Ten Commandments and replace them with quotes of President Xi Jin- ping. Some churches that refused to obey were shut down and other congregations were told their members will be ‘blacklisted’ by the state. – Barnabas Fund Kayla Mueller – Valiant For Christ – (She) Overcame By The Blood Of The Lamb And The Word Of (Her) Testimony The military operation that resulted in the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr alBaghdadi was ded icated to a young Christian woman, Kayla Mueller, who was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by the Islamic State, and refused to recant her faith. She was abducted by ISIS in August 2013 in Aleppo, Syria. U.S. officials said Baghdadi tortured and repeatedly raped her at his compound before announcing in 2015 that she died in captivity. Her body has never been recovered. In 2014 in IS captivity, Ms Mueller defended her faith in front of an IS executioner who paraded her before other prisoners, according to news reports at the time. Northern Arizona University President Rita Cheng told Baptist Press that before Ms Mueller’s graduation, she had expressed a faithfilled desire to work with Syrian refugees. She volunteered with aid groups in India and Israel before travelling to Turkey. – Baptist Press TURKEY: Offensive Billboards ture that can be quietly distributed in hostile areas. After widespread public complaint over Turkish Helen Williams with WMP says literature can be a anti-Christian, anti-Semitic billboards in Konya, au- clandestine way of sharing the Gospel. It can hide thorities in Turkey removed billboards displaying in any place and still be available without putting a quote from the Quran declaring that Muslims anyone in jeopardy. She says that where it is impos- should not befriend either Christians or Jews. sible to have public evangelism, literature is con- INDIA: Persecution Intensifies tinuing to provide successful ministry. WMP As Christian persecution intensifies in India, meth- recently sent two shipping containers of literature ods to share the Gospel are becoming more covert. to an Indian ministry that has 5,000 evangelists in Because of changes to the law, foreigners working the villages. – Mission Network News with non-profits must now sign affidavits vowing UZBEKISTAN: Greater Freedom? they won’t engage in religious conversion. At the Church registrations are increasing in Uzbekistan, same time Hindu extremists are growing bolder in as the country moves toward religious freedom. their attacks on Christians in their attempts to The rise in registrations could signal freedom of make the nation a Hindi utopia. World Missionary worship for Christians in the Muslim-majority Press supports pastors in India with Gospel litera- country. – Barnabas Fund NEW LIFE – 1 November 2019 – Page Ten NEW LIFE ADVERTISING CanCan YouYou HelpHelp Us?Us? New Life Needs To Update Its Equipment And Computer Programs. Donations To Help Us Achieve This Would Be Most Appreciated. If You Can Join Us In Improving The Ministry Of New Life, Please Send Donations To: New Life Australia Ltd, PO Box 457, Mitcham 3132 or By Direct Deposit To: Account: New Life Australia Ltd. Bank: Westpac. BSB: 033-112. Account Number: 16-8239

Elizabeth Kendal’s New Book ... War! Destruction! Violent Persecution! Martyrdom! Forced Displacement! For hundreds of thousands of now destitute Christian families, this is the new reality. Yet contrary to all appearances, God is at work in the Middle East. ‘Kendal’s book is a godsend to anyone who is at a loss to understand what lies behind the suffering in the Middle East. Drawing on authoritative voices from the region, her clear-eyed analysis untangles the conflicts with the heart and insight of a prophet. – Jeff M. Sellers, Editor, Persecution News Service, Morning Star News. For more information go to: www.ElizabethKendal.com

Glorious Things – A Protestant’s Guide To London • Revised! • Updated! • Illustrated! • Now Available As An e-Book! Glorious Things will help visitors to London arrive well prepared to make the most of their time there. The guided tours will take you to places like Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral, but Glorious Things will take you to important sites linked to our Protestant heritage. COST: $10 for the PDF version, with the right to print two hard copies. PAYMENT OPTIONS: 1. Cheque for $10 payable to New Life Australia. Mail to: PO Box 457, Mitcham Vic 3132. (Please include a letter with your name and email address so that we can email the PDF to you.) 2. Direct deposit $10 to Bank: Westpac; A/c name: New Life Australia Ltd BSB: 033-112; A/c No: 16-8239 (Please also notify us by email).

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NEW LIFE – 1 November 2019 – Page Eleven JOURNEY THROUGH JOHN with David Cook Why Won’t They Believe? Read John 12:37–50 Jesus’ public ministry now draws to a close. In John’s introduction (John 1.10,11), he tells us that Jesus came to His own people and they neither recognized nor received Him, but that there will be some who would receive and believe in Him (v.12). This divided response is evident in our passage today. First, there are those Jews who reject Jesus (v.37). Their unbelief, however, has been foretold in Scripture and is not outside of God’s sovereign oversight (vv.38– 40). Such sovereignty exists alongside human responsibility. These Jews both ‘would not’ (v.37) and ‘could not’ (v.39) believe. Judgment is sure (v.48). Secondly, there are some that do believe, but remain fearful of openly ac- knowledging Jesus (v.42). The reason for their timid belief is revealed in verse 43. In the face of this divided response, John records these last words of Jesus’ public ministry. Jesus makes three points: • There is solidarity between Jesus and the One who sent Him (vv.44,45). Therefore, anyone who rejects His words is rejecting God’s very words (v.48), because Jesus both says what God told Him to say and in the way God told Him to say it (vv.49,50). • Jesus is the light in the midst of darkness (v.46). His words lead to eternal life for those who believe (v.50). • It is urgent that people choose the right response to Jesus in order to avoid judgment and embrace eternal life. Why don’t more people believe in Jesus? This is one of the most difficult questions for believers to answer. Jesus offers that which is attractive, and His signs show that these are not empty promises, so why don’t more people believe? First, people are stubborn and hard in their unbelief, despite the ev- FOR REFLECTION: idence (v.37). Disobedience and obstinacy are Israel’s twin characteris- tics, according to Isaiah 65.2, quoted by Paul in Romans 10.21. The great Baptist Secondly, the sovereign God has hardened their hearts, binding preacher C.H. Spurgeon them in the unbelief they have chosen for themselves (v.40). God is in once said, ‘The Lord . . . control of all things, even our responses to Him. Because we all deserve chose me . . . Surely this God’s judgment, the faith of every believer is ultimately His to give. ought to make us in our Thirdly, this understanding does not petrify the evangelist, Jesus, very worst and dullest who makes the strong appeal that they must urgently believe (v.44), and that God is a generous giver of such belief. This appeal from the one who moments sing for joy’. takes ‘no pleasure in the death of the wicked’ (Ezekiel 33.11) has the Is this your response? double effect of conferring saving belief on those who listen and judgment on those who resist (vv. 46, 48). SEEN ON FACEBOOK: Reprinted From Our Daily Bread Journey Through Series® – Journey Through John by David Cook (Copyright © 2017) published by Discovery House. Used with permission of Discovery House. All rights reserved. For further enquiries please visit: journeythrough.org or email: [email protected]

NEW LIFE – 1 November 2019 – Page Twelve BEARING ONE ANOTHERS’ BURDENS Samaritan’s Purse Brings Recovery Kits And Support To Bushfire Zone – Rappville, NSW The Samaritan’s Purse Australian disaster response team is always ready to mobilise to a town that has been hit hard by bushfires. On Thursday, 17 October, after Bushfires swept across the Busbys Flats and Drake, leaving two dead and at least 21 homes destroyed set out for Rappville NSW with a trailer stocked with supplies. Samaritan’s Purse is providing Fire Recovery Kits, which contain items such as a shovel, rake, spade and more. The kits help families with clearing their property and finding salavagable items. Samaritan’s Purse volunteers will stay in Rappville to help families remove debris, help with chain- saw work and general property clearing. This is a free service for those impacted by the bushfire. Samaritan’s Purse’s Australian disaster response team plays a critical role in providing support to families affected by bushfires, drought, floods and other disasters. Disaster Response Units are stocked with heavy duty tarps, chainsaws and other tools and driven to the site of the devastation. These tools and equipment enable the disaster response staff and volunteers to provide effective aid and assistance to those in need. Once a decision has been made to deploy, Samaritan’s Purse sets up a command centre as close as possible to the disaster zone, in partnership with a local church. From the command centre, volunteers are mobilised and the community is informed that help is at hand. Depending on the nature of a disaster, the team may tear out damaged gyprock, remove flooring, put tarps on damaged roofs, remove debris and help homeowners salvage personal belongings. Samar- itan’s Purse is always looking for volunteers, especially as summer approaches, and donations to support the ministry are always welcome. Samaritan’s Purse Australia and New Zealand responds to physical and spiritual needs of individuals in crisis situations, especially in locations where few others are working. Led by President and CEO Franklin Graham, Samaritan’s Purse works in more than 100 countries to provide aid to victims of war, disease, disaster, poverty, famine and persecution. For more information, visit SamaritansPurse.org.au YOU CAN ADVERTISE HERE. Call Rachael 0415 612 646 Email: [email protected]

YOU Can Advertise Here. Call Rachael On 0415 612 646 For Details Email: [email protected] m.au

NEW LIFE – 1 November 2019 – Page Thirteen ‘BUILDING ONE ANOTHER UP’ New Edition Of The Pilgrim’s Progress: From This World To That Which Is To Come Regarded as one of the most significant works of English literature, John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress has encouraged, challenged, and fascinated Christians and non-Christians, young and old, for more than three centuries. Brought to life with 30 original, full-page, colour illustrations by award- winning illustrator Mike Wimmer, this edition will help readers understand the joys and struggles of the life of faith on Earth through the journey of Christian as he encounters Evangelist, Ignorance, Mr Worldly Wisdom, and others on his way to the Celestial City. ‘I’m so grateful this special edition of The Pilgrim’s Progress is now available not only to a new generation of Christians but also to believers like myself who need direction and refreshment along our journey toward Home,’ says Joni Eareckson Tada, Founder, Joni and Friends, while Dr J.I. Packer says: ‘If any smoothing of Bunyan’s 17th Century language plus new coloured pictures can set The Pilgrim’s Progress aglow in the hearts of today’s young readers, surely this lovely book will.’ Wesley Mission’s Work Continues To Grow Sydney’s Wesley Mission is seeing increasing growth in its community services. Their 2019 report reveals they have supported more than 200,000 people during the last 12 months. Mission leaders say that for three years they have been laying the foundations for a significant phase of growth. During the last 12 months the mission has seen an increasing number of people needing their support, and they have added new places where people can access their services. Among these people, 318 inmates completed the In Charge of My Money financial literacy course in prisons. Wesley Mission provided 105,681 nights of ac- commodation and Lifeline has answered 32,523 calls from people in crisis. – Wesley Mission TURN BACK THE BATTLE: Isaiah Speaks To Christians Today. With persecution escalating globally, Elizabeth Kendal calls us to revisit the prophecy of Isaiah, maintaining that Isaiah 1-39 provides an unambiguous treatise on how God's people are to respond to persecution, suffering and existential threat. For purchasing options, visit: www.ElizabethKendal.com Matthew 24.4 Come To The Wedding. THANKS TO OUR DONORS New Life Thanks All Who Make Donations From Time To Time. Your Generosity Enables Us To Continue This Ministry. Please See Our Ad On P. 11 And Inspiring Talk For Details About How YOU Can Help. www.96three.com.au Phone: 03 5241 6550 Email: [email protected]

NEW LIFE – 1 November 2019 – Page Fourteen