Dominic and Lindsay Russo Nicaragua Update

I had a great time hosting young missionary evangelists Dominic and Lindsay Russo on TV last Friday. Teresa and I have known Lindsay and her family for many, many years. It is wonderful to see young people totally sold out to Jesus! He is 25 years old, she is 22.

The two-hour TV interview will air in a few days and we look forward to having them minister soon at Hillcrest Church. In the meantime, check out this YouTube video to see what God did through them in Nicaragua just a few days ago...

MARYAM AND MARZIEH: “We will not deny our faith” (Iranian trial update)

Here is the latest update from Elam Ministries concerning the two young Iranian Christian women who were arrested five months ago for their faith and who were summoned before the judge yesterday at 7am....

MARYAM AND MARZIEH: “We will not deny our faith”

In a dramatic session before the revolutionary court today in Tehran, Maryam Rustampoor (27) and Marzieh Amirizadeh (30) were told to recant their faith in Christ. Though great pressure was put on them, both women declared that they would not deny their faith. Maryam and Marzieh were originally arrested on March 5, 2009 and have suffered greatly while in prison, suffering ill health, solitary confinement and interrogations for many hours while blindfolded.

On Saturday August 8, Maryam and Marzieh were summoned to appear in court on Sunday August 9 in order to hear a verdict on their case. The chief interrogator had recommended a verdict of ‘apostasy.’ However, when they arrived, no verdict was actually given. Instead, the court session focussed on the deputy prosecutor, Mr Haddad, questioning Maryam and Marzieh about their faith and telling them that they had to recant in both verbal and written form. This made it clear that in the eyes of the court, Maryam and Marzieh’s only crime is that they have converted to Christianity.

Mr. Haddad, asked the two women if they were Christians. “We love Jesus,” they replied. He repeated his question and they said, “Yes, we are Christians.”

Mr. Haddad then said, “You were Muslims and now you have become Christians.”

“We were born in Muslim families, but we were not Muslims,” was their reply.

Mr. Haddad’s questioning continued and he asked them if they regretted becoming Christians, to which they replied, “We have no regrets.”

Then he stated emphatically, “You should renounce your faith verbally and in written form.” They stood firm and replied, “We will not deny our faith.”

During one tense moment in the questioning, Maryam and Marzieh made reference to their belief that God had convicted them through the Holy Spirit. Mr. Haddad told them, “It is impossible for God to speak with humans.”

Marzieh asked him in return, “Are you questioning whether God is Almighty?”

Mr. Haddad then replied, “You are not worthy for God to speak to you.”

Marzieh said, “It is God, and not you, who determines if I am worthy.”

Mr. Haddad told the women to return to prison and think about the options they were given and come back to him when they are ready (to comply). Maryam and Marzieh said, “We have already done our thinking.”

At the end of the session, Mr. Haddad told them that a judge will give them his verdict, though it is not clear who will be the judge in their case now. He also allowed Maryam and Marzieh to have a lawyer represent them in the case for the first time since their arrest.

Both women are back in Evin prison tonight. During their five-month ordeal, both have been unwell and have lost much weight. Marzieh is in pain due to an on-going problem with her spine, as well as an infected tooth and intense headaches.She desperately needs medical attention. Two months ago the prison officials told her the prison had proper medical equipment and that they will attend to her, but so far no proper treatment has been given.

Despite the concentrated effort of officials to pressure them into recanting their faith, Maryam and Marzieh love Jesus and they are determined to stand firm to the very end no matter whatever happens. They have demonstrated their love for Jesus and would offer their lives for Him if they were called to do so. After today’s court session they said, “If we come out of prison we want to do so with honor.”

Maryam and Marzieh’s case is a clear and harsh violation of human rights and religious liberty by Iran’s authorities. They deserve the support of all those who respect human rights and to be released without charges so they can pursue a life of freedom.

ELAM Ministries - http://www.elam.com/

Please pray for these two Iranian sisters!

I have just received the following email with a very urgent prayer request from our dear friends at Elam Ministries...

Two young Iranian Christian women, Maryam and Marzieh, were arrested by the authorities there five months ago for converting from Islam to Christianity. They have been summoned to appear in court tomorrow (Sunday) to hear the verdict in their case.

One judge has already told them that he was personally going to see to it that they will be put to death. Even if they are released, they will still be in tremendous danger since in the past Christians have been martyred in the streets after being set from from prison.

Please take a moment to pray for these two precious sisters in the Lord, asking God to supernaturally intervene on their behalf and that His comforting, protecting angels will be with them…!

===============================

Dear friends, After five months of being detained in Evin Prison in Tehran for their conversion to Christianity, Maryam and Marzieh have been told to be ready. Tomorrow (Sunday 9th August) at 7am they will be taken to the court where they will hear of the court's decision. Hopefully their lawyer will be allowed to be present. Marzieh is in pain due to her spine, her tooth and searing headaches. She desperately needs to see a specialist but she has not been allowed.

Let us urgently go to the Lord in believing prayer for Maryam and Marzieh in this most sensitive time.

• Let us thank Him For preserving, sustaining and strengthening them in prison.
• For giving them the grace to be steadfast in their faith.
• For the witness they have been in prison.
• For the love, concern and prayer of many believers around the world.

Pray for their court hearing tomorrow morning.

• Pray that the court will set them free.
• Pray that the presence and the anointing of the Holy Spirit will be with them.
• That they will receive healing from all illness.
• That the peace of God will cover their minds and their hearts, and will keep them safe in Jesus and refresh them tonight.
• That in all this the Lord will be greatly glorified and His perfect will be done.

Thank you so much for praying.

The Elam team

Questions Men Should Ask Their Wives

Sitting here in the Starbucks in Paducah, Kentucky on vacation while waiting for the mechanics at the Honda dealership to repair Teresa's van, I came across as great blog post by Pastor Perry Noble entitled, "Five Questions Men Should Ask their Wives." I am going to take this list back with me to my parents' house where we are staying and ask Teresa each of these over the next few days. My bet is that I will be surprised by some of her answers and that your wife will surprise you with some of hers, too…! (Hint: Teresa says that scientific studies have shown that the most arousing sound a woman can hear is noise coming from the kitchen when her husband is doing the dishes and that the most arousing aroma any woman can smell is her husband's sweat when he is working on her "honey-do" list…!)
J!

Here is Pastor Perry's list:

1. What is the most romantic thing I have ever done for you?
   
2. What is something fun we can do together?
   
3. What is one thing I can do for you this week that relieve stress from your life?
   
4. How can I pray for you?
   
5. If you could change one thing about our marriage, what would it be?
   

Here are two I urge every pastor to add:

Knowing what you know about me, if you were not my wife, would you want me to be your pastor? Would you want to come to my church?

 

Teresa's Interview with Rebecca Bauer

Teresa recently had the privilege of interviewing Rebecca Bauer on our Word and Spirit telecast. After growing up at the Church on the Way where her father, Jack Hayford, was the Founding Pastor, Rebecca served alongside her husband, Scott Bauer, who was the Senior Pastor until he went to be with Jesus very unexpectedly in his late forties. During this interview, Rebecca shares her thoughts on being a preacher's kid and a pastor's wife, before suddenly finding herself an single adult.

Iran Crying for Freedom - Elam Ministries Report

At Hillcrest Church, we have been privileged to partner with the premier ministry to Iran, “Elam,” since their inception many years ago. I know their leaders well and esteem them very highly for their character and commitment to the Lord. They just sent me this excellent update on what is happening right now in Iran that I want to pass it on to you. It is truly a “must-read.” Please feel free to pass it on to others...

Iran Crying For Freedom

As hundreds of thousands continue to pour out onto the streets of Tehran and all Iran’s major cities demanding fair elections, Iranian Christians are crying out to God for freedom and are asking the global church to stand with them in prayer.


For nearly thirty years the church has struggled against severe restrictions and outright persecution which has driven many Christians underground. Church services are infiltrated, pastors are regularly called for questioning, phones are tapped, outreach illegal, and Christians cannot even publish the Bible or Christian literature in Iran’s national language, Persian. Those who have evangelized and campaigned for religious freedom have paid a heavy price. Eight prominent Christians have been killed since 1979 and there are reports that many others have been arrested, imprisoned, and even further deaths.

While the early years of the revolution were relatively trouble free, intimidation of the church increased after the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini died in 1989 and was succeeded by Ali Khamanei. Under Khamanei the Iranian regime took a very harsh stance against the church. There was some easing of pressure under the reformist President Mohammad Khatami (1997 – 2005), but under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2005 - ?), who vowed ‘to stop’ Christianity, there has been severe intimidation.

In 2008 over 50 ordinary Christians were arrested, some being held for weeks in solitary confinement. In 2009 this has continued. On March 5th Marzieh Amirizadeh (30) and Maryam Rustampoor (27), two active Christians, were taken from their home in Tehran to Evin prison where they are still being held. These two young women have both spent time in a two by two meter cell in solitary confinement, which one of them described as being ‘like a grave’.

For Maryam and Marzieh and the thousands of other Christians who were formerly Muslim, the outcome of the present political turmoil could crucially impact the level of suffering they have to face. If the position of hard-liners is strengthened there is a real danger they could unleash more persecution against the church. There is a law making its way through the legislative bodies making the death sentence for male apostates mandatory, and life imprisonment for women. If the moderates are strengthened, then, as happened under Khatami, there is a hope that the intimidation and arrests will come to an end as the regime signals it is willing to tolerate more diversity.

While the outcome of the political turmoil might impact the level of suffering the church faces, it should not affect the church’s remarkable recent history of growth. This will continue. If the moderates gain the upper hand there will be more freedom for Christians to share with the most open people to the Gospel in the Middle East. If the hard-liners are strengthened and there is more suffering, as the last thirty years has shown, this will only increase Christians’ determination to witness to Jesus.

“Iranian Christians are pleading for believers around the world to pray that God will touch the nation of Iran at this time,” says Sam Yeghnazar, Founder and Director of Elam Ministries, who are publishing a new prayer guide, next month called ‘IRAN 30’ to help Christians discover what is happening behind the headlines and to know how to pray effectively.

IRAN 30 is endorsed by George Verwer, Ravi Zaharias, and other influential Christian leaders. Click here to view a sample of the book and pre-order copies of ‘Iran 30’.

For more information on Iran and Christians order ‘Iran: Open Hearts in A Closed Land’ by Mark Bradley, published by Authentic Media from here.

Bombed in Baghdad

This precious pastor and his wife, standing between David Shibley, Pastor Chady, and myself have had the windows of their apartment blown out seven different times because of car bombs near their building, but they keep sharing the love of Jesus with everyone around them...!

Jordanian Friends

It was great to see Pastor Dikran Salbashian and his wife, Ani, from Jordan again. I had the privilege of ministering at a leader's conference at their church in Amman three years ago and was deeply impressed by their ministry.



This precious brother is an elder in Pastor Dikran's church. He has a very effective ministry to Iraqi refugees in Jordan, many of whom live in very, very difficult circumstances.

Pastor Chady El-Aouad, Abundant Life Church, Beirut, Lebanon

One of the great blessings from my trip to Lebanon getting to know the host pastor of the Frontline Shepherd's Conference, Chady El-Aouad from Abundant Life Church in Beirut. He is a powerful man of God who has raised up a thriving congegration there and who is planting churches throughout the region. We are already working on a date for him to minister at Hillcrest Church! It was also great to spend time with my dear friend, Dr. David Shibley of Global Advance. It was thanks to his invitation that I had the privilege of ministering to some two hundred delegates from throughout the Middle East.

Bound for Beirut

Tomorrow night, Sunday, May 10th, I leave for three days of ministry in Lebanon to pastors from across the Middle East. I do not know if I will be able to update my blog while I am gone via my laptop and the internet, but I know I will be able to update my twitter page from my cell phone. I have twitter configured so that it also automatically updates my facebook page every hour or so. If you would like to follow my missions updates and have not already signed up for my facebook page, then I suggest you check via twitter since I may not be able to access my facebook page via the internet and approve you for access while I am gone.

Thanks in advance for holding my family and me up in your prayers during this time...!

Babylon Revisited...New York Times

Click here to read an article from the New York Times describing the rebuilding and re-opening of the ancient city of Babylon. Click here to watch the accompanying slide show with audio commentary.

Lisa Luby Ryan's Testimony on 700 Club

Earlier this week, Hillcrest Church member Lisa Luby Ryan (http://www.lisalubyryan.com/) shared her very moving testimony to God's healing grace at work in her life on the 700 Club. If you missed the broadcast, you can watch it online by clicking the window below or here.

God Answers Prayer - Kenneth and Vera Brand Update

Thanks for praying for my parents, Kenneth and Vera Brand.

I received word last night that they had made it as far as Memphis, Tennessee. Dad's voice sounded so tired and weak when he called me over the phone from a hotel lobby in Memphis. I was really concerned about his his physical state, given his history of five heart attacks, knowing that he had been living in the cold for three days, and that he had been informed that all the hotels in Memphis were completely full with no vacancies available anywhere before Little Rock. Suddenly, though, the hotel front desk where he and Mom just "happened" to be standing received a call with word of an unexpected cancellation. Minutes later, he and Mom were checked into a warm, comfortable room for the night! Isn't God good?! Praise the Lord and thanks again for partnering with me and my family in prayer! They are scheduled to arrive in Dallas late today.

Although there has not been much mention given to this situation today in the national media, it continues to be very serious. So far, twelve deaths have been reported in Kentucky alone, including some people found frozen in their beds. There are still many people in rural areas that authorities have not been able to make contact with. Over 600,000 are still without power and over 200,000 without water in that state alone. Here are a couple of excerpts from the Associated Press:

Dozens of deaths have been reported and many people are pleading for a faster response to the power outages. Some in rural Kentucky ran short of food and bottled water, and resorted to dipping buckets in a creek...the uncertainty of when power might be restored had many appealing for help. Officials urged those in dark homes to leave. "We're asking people to pack a suitcase and head south and find a motel if they have the means, because we can't service everybody in our shelter," said Crittenden County Judge-Executive Fred Brown...Local officials grew angrier at what they said was a lack of help from the state and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In Kentucky's Grayson County, about 80 miles southwest of Louisville, Emergency Management Director Randell Smith said the 25 National Guardsmen who have responded have no chain saws to clear fallen trees. He said roads are littered with fallen trees and people shivering in bone-chilling cold are in need. "We've got people out in some areas we haven't even visited yet," Smith said. "We don't even know that they're alive." Smith said FEMA was still a no-show days after the storm...FEMA spokeswoman Mary Hudak said some agency workers had begun working Friday in Kentucky and more help was on the way. Hudak said FEMA also has shipped 50 to 100 generators to the state to supply electricity to such facilities as hospitals, nursing homes and water treatment plants. "We have plenty of folks ready to go, but there are some limitations with roads closed and icy conditions," she noted...Doris Hemingway, 78, spent three days bundled in blankets to ward off the cold in her Leitchfield mobile home. News that it could take up to six weeks for power to be restored sent Hemingway and his husband, Bill, into a shelter at a local high school. "I'd pray awhile and I'd cry awhile," Doris Hemingway said. "It's the worst I've ever seen."

It is great to know that God is always near even when it seems we are all alone!

Special Prayer Request - Rev. Kenneth and Vera Brand

When you read this, would you please take a moment and pray for my parents, Rev. Kenneth and Vera Brand? They are in their seventies and are retired in rural western Kentucky, the area hardest hit by the recent ice-storm. I was finally able to make contact with them by phone late last night and learned they have been three days without electricity or water. Their only heat has come from a propane-fired gas log in their fireplace and their only water from boiling snow over a propane camp stove on their back patio. The electricity outage has shut down the water treatment plant in the small town where they live and their propane tank is on the verge of running out. The latest word for their immediate region is that it could take up to thirty days for power to be restored. Dad’s concern for their home has kept them from leaving until now but they are finally en-route at this moment from Kentucky to Texas by car. Please pray that God’s hand will be upon them as they drive the first part of the journey on icy roads and that they will be able to find gasoline, etc.

Please pray as well for the more than 600,000 people in Kentucky that are without power in freezing weather. Pray that loss of life will be kept to a minimum and that emergency rescue teams will be given wisdom as they tackle the enormous damage that region’s infrastructure has suffered and that they will be kept safe as they work. This situation has the potential to become very serious for a very great number of people if power is not quickly restored and freezing temperatures continue.

If you are interested in seeing the circumstances my parents and others are dealing with, click on the window below to watch a very brief video on CNN’s website.

Thanks for praying. I'll keep you posted.

Pat Robertson's Perspective on 2009

Pat Robertson has been regularly maligned in the mainstream media and has been marginalized in the minds of many. I believe he is a man who loves and walks with God. I received this video clip in my inbox this morning of him sharing what he believes the Lord has shown him about this new year and I wanted to share it with you. Like all prophetic utterance, it should be prayerfully and carefully weighed, i.e., "judged" in light of Scripture and the inner witness of the Holy Spirit in our own hearts. "29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said." (1 Corinthians 14:29 NIV)

Time Magazine Article - Finding Jesus In London

There is a great article on Time magazine's website today about the impact of the Alpha course on London, England. It is entitled, "Finding Jesus in London." When Teresa and I lived in France, we saw the ripples of what was happening at Holy Trinity Brompton Church in the neighborhood we were living in. I would love to see someone start this as a ministry of Hillcrest Church...! Alpha exists in several languages, including Spanish. Any takers?

Rabbi Marty Waldman - Hanukkah

While I was at breakfast this morning with my dear friend, Rabbi Marty Waldman, from Baruch Ha'Shem Messianic Synagogue here in Dallas, he agreed to appear as my guest on our Word and Spirit telecast next Wednesday, December 17th at 9:30am. Marty will be sharing concerning the significance of Hanukkah and what it means to him as a follower of Yeshua.

You won't want to miss this program...!

Paul & Carol Alexander Healing Testimony, Promiseland Television Network, 10-31-08

Click on the image above to view the incredible healing testimony Paul and Carol Alexander gave recently concerning their son during the Promiseland Live! telecast I hosted for Mike and Hazel Simons. It will inspire your faith and be well worth your time. It originally aired on 10-31-08

Thirteen at the Table Testimony

Here are the web links to the full version of the testimony I used during my sermon this morning. Once the file is displayed on your screen scroll down to pages 8-10:

In Adobe pdf format (easiest to read, but you need to install the free, Adobe Reader program if you have not already done so): PDF format.

In html format (harder to read): HTML Format.

God's Economy Holds Steady In Uncertain Times!

Palin the Pentecostal: Journey From Obscurity to Ubiquity

In his interesting piece in the Washington Post last Friday, September 12th, 2008 entitled, "Faith Based Condescension," columnist Michael Gerson takes issue with recent media coverage of Governor Sarah Palin's Pentecostal roots. Early in his article Gerson writes,

"...liberals have been drawn, helpless and mesmerized -- like beetles to the vivid, blue paradise of the bug zapper -- toward criticizing Sarah Palin's religion. Palin's former Pentecostal church is called a "shout-and-holler tabernacle." Reporters press Palin's former pastor to reveal if she has ever spoken in tongues, the way it was once asked if candidates had ever used drugs...Palin sounds most like President Franklin Roosevelt, who prayed on D-Day that, "by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph."

He continues,

"The media treatment of Pentecostalism (Palin's main religious background) and Bible church evangelicalism (her current affiliation) has had the quality of a National Geographic special on a newly discovered Amazon tribe. You might not suspect that Pentecostalism -- grown from the admirable, racially integrated roots of the Los Angeles Azusa Street Revival of 1906 -- is one of the fastest-growing and most influential forms of mainstream Christianity. There are now between 250 million and 500 million Pentecostals in places from Latin America to sub-Saharan Africa to rural Alaska....While most religious people in America don't speak in tongues, many pray for healing in times of sickness and trouble, and most are offended when sneering elites attack the religious practices of their friends and neighbors. "

Then he concludes with a trenchant observation,

During the first Pentecost -- the one recorded in Acts -- Christians spoke strange languages in public. Many observers dismissed them as drunk. The critics of religion, as is often the case, did not get the last word.

Statistically speaking, Gerson is quite right. In its press release in October 2006 announcing the publication of the results from its ten country public opinion survey on Pentecostalism entitled,"Spirit and Power," the highly respected and very mainstream Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life noted that at least one quarter of the world's two billion Christians consider themselves Pentecostal or Charismatic, as do 23% of the inhabitants of the United States. The preface to the report points out that Pentecostals/Charismatics rank second only to Roman Catholics in the number of global Christian followers.

I think the actual numbers may be higher. Many Roman Catholics testify to profound Holy Spirit experiences but their numbers are not always included in such summaries. Many U.S. pastors of ostensibly non-Pentecostal/Charismatic churches come from Pentecostal/Charismatic roots but have intentionally "re-branded" themselves and the churches they serve in an effort to sidestep the social stigma and religious prejudice they encountered earlier in their lives. Very often, these leaders continue to lead Spirit-filled lives in private without being publicly identifiable by research methodologies like those used by the Pew Forum.

In any event, even if one accepts the Forum's statistics, it is clear that over the last century Governor Palin's stream of Christian faith has moved from obscurity to ubiquity. Both the Pew Forum and the Religion News Service have recently pointed out that Barak Obama has integrated two openly Pentecostal members into the highest levels of his own campaign: Joshua DuBois as his Religious Outreach Director and Leah Daughtry, CEO of the Democratic National Convention Committee. So far, the same members of the media who have publicly scorned Governor Palin's spirituality have been silent about Senator Obama's affiliations. I suspect their attacks are more political in motivation than philosophical, sociological, or theological.

Be that as it may, Governor Palin's recent nomination has not only affected the political debate in our country but has also raised doctrinal issues for certain non-Pentecostal/Charismatic Evangelicals. As David Gushee, Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University asks in his article entitled, "The Palin Predicament," in today's online edition of USA Today,

The GOP’s evangelical base rejoiced when the Alaska governor joined the McCain ticket. But how can the theological vision that women are subservient to men jibe with a Palin vice presidency?

He continues,

It is an uncomfortable fact that many of the theologically conservative Christians who have endorsed Palin's nomination would not be willing to endorse her or any other woman for service as pastor of their church. Women cannot serve as pastors in groups such as the Churches of Christ, the Southern Baptist Convention, the Presbyterian Church in America, most non-denominational Bible churches, and an influential advocacy group called the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood(CBMW)...at the local church level many congregations would not accept Palin or any other woman even as associate pastor, or deacon, or youth minister or Sunday school teacher in a gender-mixed classroom. The most conservative would not consider it appropriate for her to stand behind a pulpit and preach a sermon, or teach from the Bible, or lead a praise chorus, or offer a prayer, unless her audience consisted entirely of women or children.

In my view, Dr. Gushee paints with too broad a brush when he asserts elsewhere in his article that only more modern elements within evangelicalism have permitted women to function in leadership positions. From the earliest days of both the classical Pentecostal revival a century ago and the more recent Charismatic renewal, women have been allowed to exercise whatever gifts God granted them within their faith communities. I do agree, however, that the Sarah Palin phenomenon is giving rise to fresh and ardent discussions of many topics theological as well as social and political.


As late as yesterday evening, Sunday, September 15th, the ABC World News broadcast contained a video report entitled, "What Does Palin's Faith Mean for U.S.?" It opened yet another window that people around the nation can look through for a glimpse into one genre of Spirit-filled worship. During that piece, University of Rochester religion professor Anthea Butler notes the connection between a deep, personal work of the Holy Spirit and a greater role for women in all areas of life,

"Sarah Palin, if she was just a plain Evangelical woman, would have a tough time thinking that she could be VP," said University of Rochester religion professor Anthea Butler. "An evangelical woman might have issues with submission. What's gonna happen with my kids? But a Pentecostal woman is saying God is calling me, I'm gonna answer this call."

All of us who exult in genuine moves of God's Spirit and who long to lead other people into such fullness should make it a point to pray during this season that these journalistic forays, however imperfect or polemical they may be, will result in many more people coming into a personal encounter with the Creator who longs to be their Redeemer. I think the Apostle Paul would agree. He wrote to the Corinthian Christians,

"...if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!” (1 Corinthians 14:24-25
NIV)

Let it be, Lord...!
For more online information regarding Pentecostals, including links to many other websites, check out the Pew Forum's page on Pentecostalism.