C. Aaron Russell's Blog, page 12

U.S. prisoners in Iran swept under rug amid negotiations

Pastor Saeed Abedini, U.S. Citizen, held in Iranian prison for missionary work.

 

Iran nuclear deal bypasses imprisoned pastor

(SRN News)

CAIRO, Egypt (BP) — As western powers prepare to ease economic sanctions against Iran as part of a new nuclear non-proliferation treaty, human rights activists say leverage for prisoners of faith is being undercut.

An unnamed human rights advocate and researcher who monitors Iran for Christian Solidarity Worldwide told Morning Star News his colleagues in different human rights groups were concerned when they learned human rights had not been part of the negotiations with Iran, specifically about prisoners of faith. In the quest to obtain some sort of agreement with the Iranians, they said pursuit of basic rights for Christians and other religious minorities was set aside.

“When negotiations [with the Iranians] take place, human rights has to be on the agenda,” said the advocate, whose name was not disclosed for security reasons.

“Otherwise, if you give all these concessions over to Iran, they have no motivation or reason to do anything about human rights,” he told Morning Star News, a key monitor of international religious liberty.

Tiffany Barrans, international legal director for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a legal group advocating on behalf of imprisoned U.S.-Iranian pastor Saeed Abedini, said negotiators “didn’t use the opportunity and leverage they had right in front of them…”

“He is the only political prisoner in a cell with murders and rapists,” the ACLJ’s Barrans said.

Still, Naghmeh Abedini was hopeful in the lead-up to diplomatic meetings between the United States and Iran that her husband would be released as a good-will gesture. But by Sunday, Nov. 24, when the non-proliferation agreement was announced, there was no word that Abedini would be freed. Barrans said Naghmeh Abedini was devastated and “doesn’t know how to explain to her children that he is not coming home for Christmas again.”

After the nuclear deal was announced, Naghmeh Abedini told Fox News she doesn’t see “any more leverage left.”

“Iran has no incentive for them to release him. I don’t think we have any more leverage,” she said. “We now have to consider other avenues and having other countries speak out because our country when we could have used our leverage chose to stay silent…” (read full story at SRN News)

Religious Freedom in Israel threatened

Israel Orders Deportation of Jews for Jesus Worker
Group says British volunteer their first ever to be arrested in country.

(MSN)

Visit JewsforJesus.org

CAIRO, Egypt (Morning Star News) – An Israeli immigration judge has ordered the deportation of a Messianic Jewish man from England who was arrested last week for taking part in an evangelistic event in southern Israel.

Barry Barnett, 50, a worker with Jews for Jesus UK, was ordered on Sunday (Nov. 24) to leave the country by Dec. 3. Barnett, who is based in England, was volunteering at the Jews for Jesus “Behold your God Israel” campaign around the city of Be’er Shiva when he was arrested Wednesday (Nov. 20) at about 4 p.m.

According to his wife, Alison Barnett, six immigration control officers took him from Be’er Shiva, 125 kilometers (78 miles) south of Jerusalem, to an immigration office in Omer, just outside of the city. He was held there for several hours without charge, then transferred to an immigration-holding unit of a prison in Ramle, near Tel Aviv. He spent four days in jail before his court hearing.

The team present at the time of the arrest was made up of Israeli citizens except for Barnett. Dan Sered, Israel director for Jews for Jesus, said in a press release that the arrest was “outrageous.”

“As an Israeli, I have been proud that our country allows for freedom of religion,” he said. “Yet those who seized Barry and took him to prison have done a shameful thing.”

According to Sered, the presiding judge ruled that Barnett was not allowed to engage in “missionary activity” while in Israel.

“They did not really give a reason why they detained him,” Sered told Morning Star News. “All they said is that he was doing ‘missionary activity.’ That is correct, he was doing missionary activity, and that is legal to do in Israel.” (read full story at Morningstar News)

What modern overzealous discipleship teaching is missing

Busy Resting

(selection from new book, Lessons In Faith—learned the hard way), by C. Aaron Russell

When it comes to Christianity, is activity the best evidence of a faith that will bear good fruit? What about taking some time or even a season being still and silent, praying and listening, all in the peaceful presence of the Lord?  If we study our Bibles and look to the examples in Scripture at the lives of men and women devoted to God, we’ll see a more well rounded picture of faith. Often in our spiritual walk we get in a hurry, but instead we must slow down and wait on the Shepherd. Often, there are changes in ourselves we need to let God make before He can use us to do His will. Patience is a sign of maturity in faith among the flock. Taking time to seek the Lord and grow in our relationship with Him is wise.

Martha and Mary were excellent examples of conflicting personalities among Christians.  Martha was an example of a good old-fashioned conservative Baptist. She got to church and got busy right away. The church is good at that—bringing us in and putting us immediately to doing the work of the Lord. The kitchen always needs help. There are openings in the bus ministry for drivers. They’ll even get you saved and immediately put you straight into the Children’s Ministry teaching Sunday School (though you still may be in your infancy spiritually yourself). The church will let you know how much your work means to God.

It is natural to get excited and want to pitch in, but soon it’s also natural to notice all those half-hearted lazy Christians who aren’t carrying their weight and can’t possible love the Lord as much as we do. That was Martha. She was busy making hamburgers and hot dogs to sell at the church luncheon in order to raise money for the new building project going on.

Then there was Mary. She was satisfied to just sit around, listening and chatting with the guest—Jesus. When we host a dinner party, it takes a lot of preparation and work behind the scenes to feed and take care of guests. Martha got aggravated with Mary because she was not pulling her weight. But, if we are so busy serving that we’re too busy to fellowship and enjoy one another’s company, what’s the point of inviting people over? Jesus told us it was Mary that got the better part from the Lord.

Everything has its time and place. Although it is good to serve, sometimes it is more important to listen and learn. When it comes to Jesus—if our desire to serve Him exceeds our desire to know Him, that can indicate a lack of love. To put it this way, if we don’t know Jesus, how can we love Him? And if we don’t love Him, how can we serve Him properly? King Solomon said:

“Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones” (Psalms 127:1-2 NLT).

Elijah had his time at Brook Cherith. Elijah pops up out of nowhere in the Bible to boldly tell the king there will be a terrible drought in the land. Then God sent Elijah to hide out near a little brook (wisely because the King and Queen, Ahab and Jezebel, had a temper). Elijah was basically on vacation. He just rested there, patiently waiting, studying, and praying. He did no work, being fed by ravens and drinking fresh water from the flowing stream, while the rest of the land was suffering in drought.

A less experienced believer might have called that slothful and would not have considered such inaction much of a ministry at all. I mean, why wouldn’t Elijah take a drink to some poor, thirsty lost souls in a nearby village, and use the opportunity to preach the Gospel? What a bum! After the brook dried up, he finally left, only to go and live off of a poor widow woman who barely had enough food for herself and son, but Elijah asked for what little food she had left anyway. How selfish! What kind of man of God takes the last morsel of a poor widow and her son? Christians don’t believe in welfare—get a job!

The faithful widow woman Elijah was sent to did not have an exciting ministry with the zeal of traversing the globe for God, and she did nothing more than open her house to a stranger. Up to that point, other than warning the King of an upcoming drought, Elijah’s ministry consisted of being nothing more than a freeloader, if you take things at face value. Eventually, the Lord did go on to use Elijah to do amazing feats on His behalf.

Today, so many Christians want to be great champions for God and have a ministry like Elijah. That is a prideful worldview, that we should all be “rock stars,” and to be ordinary is failure. We do not need to strive to be some elite class of Christian. We should not become disappointed when we are not called to rain down fire from Heaven or raise the dead like Elijah. In fact most all of us were called to be more like the widow—and that is no insignificant thing. Elijah and the widow had a common element to their ministry—they waited on instructions, were obedient, and each fulfilled the Lord’s purpose. That is the only way to have a truly successful ministry.

C. Aaron Russell—author of Lessons In Faith—learned the hard way. Celebrating new release with free Kindle Ebook promotion for Thanksgiving Holidays.

So you think you’re a prophet: Don’t preach before you pray

 

Don’t Preach Before You Pray

C. Aaron Russell (selection from new book Lessons In Faith—learned the hard way)



The truth is, speaking not from the Spirit but from the flesh is often due to our pride getting in the way. We attempt to be self-important and set ourselves above the ordinary Christian. It is also our pride that seeks the praise and approval of men, and why we enjoy bestowing blessings for the future on one another. Pride can also be the reason why we are so much more accepting of a good message (or prophecy) over a bad one. Our pride wants to hear that we deserve great things. In reality, it should not make a difference. Good or bad, we should never receive any message not of God.

The Book of Jeremiah gives one account of how some of us can presumptuously speak for the Lord. Jeremiah was a well-known prophet and was called by God to warn Israel that they had turned away from Him and become wicked, very wicked—including defiling the Holy Temple, worshiping pagan idols, and even child sacrifice. Therefore, Jeremiah had the unpleasant and unpopular task of warning the Jews that they would be conquered and would live under Babylonian rule. God had Jeremiah fashion a wooden yoke, to symbolize the bondage they would live in. Jeremiah’s prophecy came to be, but after several years under the authority of the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar, another prophet rose up with a new word for the people.

Hananiah spoke to all the Jews and priests, and decreed within two years the Lord would deliver Israel out from under Nebuchadnezzar’s rule. He added also, that all Israel’s wealth and captives would be returned from Babylon. He then smashed Jeremiah’s wooden yoke to symbolize their coming freedom. Naturally, the people were ecstatic to hear this, and undoubtedly Hananiah was Israel’s new favorite preacher. In today’s world he would have the most popular TV ministry, all his books would be bestsellers, and he would have a stadium-sized mega-church, filled to capacity.

That got God’s attention, and He sent Jeremiah to respond. He told the people that because they had listened to a false prophet and did not accept His punishment, their wooden yoke would be replaced by one of iron. Instead of living in Israel under Nebuchadnezzar’s authority, Jerusalem would be destroyed and all the people would be taken out of their homes and led away as captives, to be held in the land of Babylon. As for Hananiah, the meteoric rise of his ministry was short-lived, because God told him, “Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the Lord.” He was struck dead in less than two months.

The most common trait we’ll find in false prophets and teachers is old-fashioned pride again. Often they walk around like heaven’s royal class and seek the praise and honor of men. Jesus told us very clearly how to recognize false prophets. He said, “Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” When someone claims to speak for God, we must ask ourselves, “Are we seeing signs and confirmation of God’s Word?” We must pray for truth and discernment, and God will reveal to us when His presence in Spirit surrounds one of His messengers.

So are there real prophets today? I believe yes, but what holds true in the Bible will hold true for today. 1 Corinthians 12 describes prophecy as one of the Spiritual Gifts to the church. That is a gift that God can impart on any and all believers, but only in His time and for His purpose. It is temporal and not something that believers can call on and receive anytime we like. And though we may be given a word of prophecy (or the similar gift of knowledge) in a particular moment; that does not automatically mean we have a prophetic calling and should be given a church title of “Prophet,” in the same category as the Old Testament Prophets. True prophets of God are rare. Anyone who has studied their Bible knows there were few prophets over a great span of many biblical generations. Dr. Roger Barrier (Preach It, Teach It) pointed out many telling characteristics of what it takes to be a prophet of God, according to scriptural examples.

For Jeremiah’s unwanted message, he was hated by the people, beaten, put in the stockade, and even dropped into a pit beneath the dungeon (likely the sewer), to wallow in mire and stench without food or water. God told Hosea, “Go marry a prostitute.” God wanted Hosea to personally know the pain of having an unfaithful bride, for Israel had followed false idols and been adulterous towards Him. Ezekiel was told by God to cook his food with human excrement so he could comprehend how the people’s faith had been corrupted with filth. After pleading, God was merciful and allowed him to cook it with cow dung. We already discussed Jonah, who was thrown off a ship into stormy seas and swallowed by a whale. Daniel was thrown into a lion’s den. God made Isaiah walk the streets naked and humiliated for three years.

When we study the Word, it demonstrates that being a true prophet of God is not so glamorous. They were not beloved and cheered wherever they went, nor invited to all the biggest churches and conventions, flying first class from city to city, and being paid large speaking fees. The prophets of the Bible were not called to shower all the people with blessings in order to receive the praise and honor of men. Prophets were sent on a strict mission by God, typically to call on a city or nation that was lost.

C. Aaron Russell – Author of new book, Lessons In Faith—learned the hard way, celebrating release with free ebook promotion for Thanksgiving Holidays.

Deep pockets reshaping Islamic nations and fueling Christian persecution

Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia

 

Islamic Law and Christian Persecution

via (Christian Concern)

The persecution of Christians is “the greatest story never told in the Western media” and “the vast majority of serious anti-Christian violence is carried out in the name of Islam,” according to Ed West in an article for The Spectator.

Earlier this month, MPs raised concerns about the plight of Christians in the Middle East during a debate at Westminster Hall, highlighting that in relation to Christian persecution virtually every country in the region reported “suffering of either high, high to extreme or extreme suffering.”

Faith Minister Baroness Warsi said in a recent speech: “A mass exodus is taking place, on a Biblical scale. In some places, there is a real danger that Christianity will become extinct.”

Commenting on the remarks, Mr West said:

“Warsi made the same point on the Today programme this morning, and I applaud her, but an aspect rather missing from the coverage was the fact that the vast majority of serious anti-Christian violence is carried out in the name of Islam. It would be like discussing anti-Semitic pogroms of the medieval period without mentioning Christianity, its theology, history and practice.”

“Incompatible with religious liberty”

He added: “The simple fact is that Islamic law as it is applied in Egypt (where apostasy is extremely difficult and dangerous, and family law was based on Sharia even before the revolution), Iraq and the Gulf States is incompatible with religious liberty. There is no way around that. In Iraq, most bizarrely, the US government presided over a constitution that introduced elements of Sharia.

“The issue therefore is not just that Christians are being punished because of anger at the West. It is the specific application of Islamic law, and most centrally its ideas about freedom of religion. It includes freedom of un-religion and the freedom to deviate from the rulers’ particular interpretation.”

“Influence of the Saudis”

West commented further that much of the intolerance against Christianity in Pakistan had resulted from “the influence of the Saudis” who he says “are trying to reshape Islam in their image, and are helped by Westerners because of their vast reserves of money.”

West commented further that much of the intolerance against Christianity in Pakistan had resulted from “the influence of the Saudis” who he says “are trying to reshape Islam in their image, and are helped by Westerners because of their vast reserves of money.”

He added: “But they’re not the only ones – universities and organisations all over the West take Saudi money, and they should be publicly shamed, just as tax dodgers are.

“At the heart of the problem is that we’re too scared of even admitting that the problem is within Islam, perfectly illustrated by the BBC’s coverage of events.”

(Read the full feature in The Spectator)

Christians persecuting Christians: Attacks on non-Catholic denominations in Mexico

 

Mexican Catholics Attack Pentecostal Church and Congregation With Sledgehammers and Pick-Axes

BY MORGAN LEE , CP CONTRIBUTOR

Two Mexican men show evidence of torture over their evangelical faith (Oscar Rodriguez/Milenio)

A gang of Catholics reportedly attacked Pentecostal Christians with rods and stones in Oaxaca, Mexico at the beginning of November.

According to Mexican human rights officials, the traditionalistic Catholic mob attacked the Christians’ unfinished church using sledgehammers and pick-axes to vandalize the structure, according to Morning Star News. Additionally, four Christians were jailed for four days according to the National Commission on Human Rights (NCHR).

The NCHR reported in a statement that the attacks were instigated by San Juan Ozolotepec President, Pedro Cruz Gonzalez, who “ordered the demolishing of their temple, the lynching, incarceration and torture of the followers of the religious congregation…”

According to the Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), the law “has allowed local authorities to violate the rights of members of the local communities with impunity. In addition, the Mexican government’s aversion to involving itself in religious issues has allowed such situations to escalate.”

Abuse against Christians who have resisted participation in the traditionalist Catholic practices has been widespread and also occurred in Chiapas, Guerrero, Hidalgo and Puebla…(read full story at Christian Post)

386 children rescued, 348 arrested in child porn sting, including teachers, clergy, police

 

Nearly 400 children rescued and 348 adults arrested in Canadian child pornography bust

By Daniella Silva, NBC News

Nearly 400 children have been rescued and 348 adults arrested following an expansive and “extraordinary” international child pornography investigation, Canadian police announced Thursday.

The three-year project, named Project Spade, began when undercover officers with the Toronto Police Service Child Exploitation service made contact with a Toronto man allegedly sharing “very graphic images” of child sexual abuse in Oct. 2010, Toronto Police Service Chief William Blair said at a press conference on Thursday.

Police said their investigation revealed an entire child movie production and distribution company in Toronto operating via the web site azovfilms.com…

Investigators catalogued hundreds of thousands of images and videos of “horrific sexual acts against very young children, some of the worst they have ever viewed,” Inspector Beaven-Desjardins said at the press conference…

What was most alarming, Inspector Beaven-Desjardins said, was that many of the arrests were of people who worked with or closely interacted with children.

Among those arrested were 40 school teachers, nine doctors and nurses, six law enforcement personnel, nine pastors and priests and three foster parents…(read full story at NBC News)

Obamacare ads: We’ll cover your life of debauchery

by C. Aaron Russell

Why is insurance so important? Well, if you get hurt doing a keg stand or get alcohol poisoning from an all night drinking binge and end up in the emergency room, you’ll wish you were covered. Or if you pick up that hottie at the bar, you don’t want to worry about someone getting knocked up, so make sure you’re stocked up with pills that will take care of that for you.

In a campaign to entice Millennials to be more responsible and get health coverage, advertisers attempt to appeal to their sense of irresponsibility and immorality. The ads promote a rock star lifestyle of hard partying and free sex. It encourages a culture of playboys, pimps and prostitutes that throws caution to the wind, and believe it is better to be decadent now with no thought for tomorrow or consequences. Have we reached the tipping point as a nation, where mainstream America no longer believes that having a moral conscience is of any value?

You be the judge as you view the ads from a government that tells us what the important reasons are for each of us and our families to have healthcare.

Christian Chaplains in VA hospitals being phased out

 

Veterans Affairs forced chaplains from program for quoting Scripture, praying in the name of Jesus, suit alleges

By Todd Starnes (Fox News)

Two Baptist chaplains said they were forced out of a Veterans Affairs chaplain training program after they refused orders to stop quoting the Bible and to stop praying in the name of Jesus.

When the men objected to those demands, they were subjected to ridicule and harassment that led to one of the chaplains leaving the program and the other being ejected, according to a federal lawsuit filed Friday…

“Not only was the treatment these men received inappropriate, it was also a violation of federal law and the religious freedom guarantees of the First Amendment,” said John Wells, an attorney representing the Colorado-based denomination.

“No American choosing to serve in the armed forces should be openly ridiculed for his Christian faith,” he said, calling it one of the most blatant cases of religious discrimination he has ever seen…

There were seven chaplains enrolled in the San Diego program led by Nancy Dietsch, a Department of Veterans Affairs employee with a history of antagonistic behavior toward evangelicals, Wells said.

“She’s been very, very critical of Christians,” Wells said in a telephone interview. “Instead of teaching anything dealing with faith issues, she’s dealing with a holistic, humanistic approach. It’s the idea that the spirit comes from within…” (read full story at Fox News)

Jailed for sharing the Gospel: Not in Middle East—America

Retired Police Officer Arrested for Sharing Gospel in New Jersey Mall

Heather Clark (Christian News Network)

Add U.S. to list of countries stripping away Freedom of Religion from citizens.

EATONTOWN, N.J. – A retired police officer was arrested and charged with trespassing this week for witnessing to patrons of a New Jersey mall…

“I simply approached individuals and asked them if I could ask them a question. If they said no, I left them alone,” Wells explained. “If they said yes I simply asked, ‘Are you going to Heaven?’ How I responded was based on how they answered that question…”

But Wells noted that the state courts had declared malls a quasi-public venue, and “with that understanding I went to the mall to talk to people about the Gospel…”

However, when Wells asserted that he had a right to distribute tracts in the mall, security called the police. Police contended under threat of arrest that Wells must leave as the mall is privately owned.

“I was polite about it,” Wells said. “I told them I didn’t want to get arrested. I wasn’t trying to make a scene, but I also wasn’t doing anything wrong.”

When Wells continued to assert that his activities were not unlawful, he was put in handcuffs and transported to the Eatontown police station for processing. He was formally charged with trespassing and plead not guilty in court on Thursday…(read full story at Christian News)