A Christian Responce to Coronavirus

Julian, was Roman Emperor from 361 to 363, as well as a notable philosopher and author in Greek. His rejection of Christianity, and his promotion of Neoplatonic Hellenism in its place, caused him to be remembered as Julian the Apostate by the Christian church.

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Julian the Apostate traced the rapid spread and power of that religion [Christianity] to three causes: benevolence, care of the dead and honesty. After the persecution under [Ceasar] Marcus Aurelius, the Christians in Southern Gaul were much distressed because the enraged heathen would not deliver them the corpses of their brethren for burial. … During the ravages of war, famine and pestilence, they considered it their duty to bury the heathen as well as their fellow-Christians. When a pestilence depopulated the cities in the reign of the tyrannical persecutor Maximinus, “the Christians were the only ones in the mist of such distressing circumstances that exhibited sympathy and humanity in their conduct. They continued the whole day, some in the care and burial of the dead, for numberless were they for whom there was none to care; others collected the multitude of those wasting by the famine throughout the city, and distributed bread among all. So that the fact was cried abroad, and men glorified the God of the Christians, constrained, as they were by the facts, to acknowledge that these were the only really pious and real worshipers of God. 

REFFERENCE: Schaff, Philip. History of the Christian Church & Ecclesiastical History

Jesus said to take the Gospel to the whole world. These 4^th century Christians did their part. It was noted by the unbelievers, that the Christians were not just empathic to the sick and dying but walked into danger to be servants to the culture.

As history shows, most hospitals and benevolent organizations were started by Christians.

So, what should be the Christian response to this Coronavirus?

First of all, our fore-fathers plus the scriptures show us not to fear. As Christians we should be ready to show the unbelieving world we do not panic from the spread of Coronavirus. Yes, we should take personal causation. But if the institutions of society break down, we need to put our lives on the line to help where help is needed.

I remember when the Katrina Hurricane ravaged New Orleans and southern Louisiana. The churches in the southern United States stepped in to house those whose homes had been flooded, feed them and in the end helped repair homes.

The proper response for the Church is to be fearless and to be ready to be a physical witness.

Remember what a heathen Caesar said about Christianity, “Julian the Apostate traced the rapid spread and power of that religion [Christianity] to three causes: benevolence, care of the dead and honesty.”

Pray for the Balkans

Pray for the Balkans


Heroes and Villains

Heroes and villains is what the Balkans is all about. One ethnic group’s hero is another group’s villain. One nation’s war criminals are another nation’s victorious heroes. Keeping the peace in the Balkans is very complex. Due to the many past wars and the multi-national populations of each country, this is the reality here. There seems to be a war somewhere in the Balkans every 25-40 years. This is a curse which has devastated this region and this cycle must and can be broken by the power of Jesus Christ.

The following stories are rooted in this problem. A small portion of each article will give you a taste of the challenges. You can open the links to read the full articles.
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Croatian Anne Frank Tribute Commemorates Fascists’ Victims
The anti-fascist association in the town of Sibenik will mark Holocaust Remembrance Day with a reading of Anne Frank’s diary after a local school director barred an exhibition about the WWII diarist. http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/croatian-museum-marks-holocaust-with-anne-frank-01-26-2017
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Albanians Await Access to Communist-Era Police Files
State institutions and individuals have started applying for access to information kept confidential in secret police files for more than 25 years after the Albanian Communist regime fell. - See more at: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/albanian-institutions-request-communism-secret-police-check-ups-01-26-2017#sthash.8X11R4lo.dpuf
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Montenegro’s Bosniaks Thwart Njegos National Holiday
Montenegro’s government dropped plans to declare the birthday of Petar II Petrovic Njegos a national holiday after opposition from Bosniaks who accuse the poet-prince of glorifying the killing of Muslims.
The Bosniak Party said at the time that certain ideas in Njegos’s works “were used to justify genocide against the Muslim community in both the 19th and 20th centuries in Montenegro and in the region”. http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/bosniaks-oppose-memorialisation-of-montenegro-s-royal-poet-njegos-12-29-2016
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Defiant Bosnian Serbs Celebrate Banned ‘National Day’
Celebrations in the Bosnian Serb entity Republika Srpska saw a ratcheting up of independence rhetoric as well as high-level spats over the participation of members of the country’s armed forces.
Bosnian Serb President Milorad Dodik used the occasion of the biggest-ever celebration of the Day of Republika Srpska, which went ahead on Monday in defiance of a ban by Bosnia's Constitutional Court, to demand greater autonomy for the entity.
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/bosnian-serbs-hold-national-day-despite-ban-01-09-2017

Prayer Points:
1)    The “Peace Maker” must be welcomed in every Balkan country. Only Jesus can bring permanent peace. Lord, let Your presence come to this region and bring true transformation.
2)    Pray that ethnic groups in the Balkans would learn the power of forgiveness. This must be supernatural, as hatred is such an intricate part of the Balkans. 
3)   Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. This verse comforts us as Christians and it shows the depths of God’s love. Pray that all Christians in the Balkans would be able to accept God’s forgiveness so they can forgive others.
4)    Pray that Christians would be the example to their countrymen in showing the freedom of forgiveness.
5)    There are Balkan-wide Christian efforts that are displaying unity among ethnic groups. Pray for Brother’s Keepers and Daughters of the King. Two annual regional gatherings which have done much to bring healing in the past 10 years.
6)    The battle is not against men but against spiritual principalities in high places. 6)    Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Let us stand in the gab against these spiritual host of wickedness that have been stirring up hatred in the Balkans for centuries.

Please leave a Comment or Reaction so we will know you Prayed.

Pray for Croatia 7-18-16

Pray for Croatia

We were praying for the education system in Croatia the other day, at Upper Room Zagreb. 
 
The educational system was dominated with communist philosophy while Croatia was part of Yugoslavia. After independence, the Catholic Church took educational dominance. This year there has been a backlash against Catholic dominance and a demand for more practical courses. During our prayer time, one of IST’s interns Cynthia, brought forth Daniel 2: 20-23

20 Daniel answered and said
 “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
For wisdom and might are His.
21 And He changes the times and the seasons;
He removes kings and raises up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise
And knowledge to those who have understanding.
22 He reveals deep and secret things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
And light dwells with Him.
23 “I thank You and praise You,
O God of my fathers;
You have given me wisdom and might,
And have now made known to me what we asked of You,
For You have made known to us the king’s demand.”

Join us in praying into this:
1)    Lord, we ask for a change in the Croatian educational system.
2)    Dear God, forever wisdom and might are Yours. You can remove bad educational administrators and You set good ones in office.
3)    Those good administrators that are set in position can be wise in knowledge and understanding. Father, You can open their minds to the deep and secret things.

Daniel prayed three times a day and was made an adviser to four kings. Where no one else could interpret King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, Daniel inquired of God and got the interpretation. Wisdom from heaven was given to the king.

4)    We ask You, Lord, to surround the educational minister of Croatia; give him a dream or dreams from heaven. May his office doors be wide open for the God of wisdom to come in. Surround him with godly counselors.
5)    For generations Croatian children have received manipulated education. Let us pray that now would be the time for a healthy change in the system so a wise generation can come forth.
6)    Pray that teachers also would be touched by godly wisdom.
7)    Croatians have hard hearts because they have endured hard times. May their hearts be softened so godly wisdom can be understood.
Ezekiel 36:26
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Please leave a Comment or Reaction so we will know you Prayed.

Pray for Croatia

According to research data from the Croatian Institute of Public Health, Croatians are among the biggest smokers in the world…

Croatia is ranked the 7th biggest smoking nation out of 22 countries and 3 billion people. Croatia is ranked ahead of Poland and Romania. When it comes to female smoking, Croatia is ranked 2nd in the world only behind women from Bangladesh.

According to the Croatian Institute of Public Health’s data, 31% of people above the age of 15 smoke. On average they are smoking 16 cigarettes per day with the average monthly spend on cigarettes 512 kuna (74 dollars) per person.

“There are a variety of circumstances. Multifactorial. Unemployment and higher levels of stress certainly plays a role,” Tomislav Benjak from the Department of Public Health told RTL [news agency].

Around 3,000 people die from lung cancer a year in Croatia.
http://www.croatiaweek.com/croatian-women-2nd-biggest-smokers-behind-bangladesh/
http://www.who.int/tobacco/en/atlas6.pdf

It doesn't take long for any Zagreb visitor to notice the coffee shops which are everywhere. In the daylight hours and in the evenings these coffee shops are crowded with customers. We walk past these shops and ask, “Are there any Croatians at work?” Overall unemployment of those actively looking for a job are 18% while unemployment among young adults is 44%.

A lot of social issues together result in the fact of high smokers in Croatia

Prayer Points:
1) Stress is among the key factors which contribute to the reason many smoke. Let us pray that the spirit of discontent would be lifted. Let us come against hopelessness gripping the nation.
2) Smoking is also very deeply rooted in the culture and history of Croatian and the Balkan people in general. May this curse be broken off and a generation would arise truly standing up against such addictions.
3) Lets pray specifically for the women who are trapped in this cycle. Lord break every chain which binds and release the hope of Jesus Christ that sets the captives free.
4) May there be more education and information made available in creative ways throughout the educational and media outlets concerning the negative health effects of smoking.
5) We pray for the children who are exposed to smoking from a young age due to parents and family smoking. We pray that this cycle might be broken in Jesus’ name.

Pray for Zagreb, Croatia

There are mixed feelings in this city regarding the new government. Cynicism prevails in the attitudes of the Croatian people. They say things like, “They have promised us reform before but it stays the same.”, or “All the politicians are corrupt, how can we possibly trust them.”

We frequently pray for the government, but today let us pray for the attitude of the people.

Zagreb is a beautiful city compared to other cities in the Balkans. There are nice parks, the city center is truly the heart of the city. Maintenance is prompt and well-organized. It is quite remarkable that there is trash pickup three times a week. On the flip side, taxes are 25%

Recently, Jerry had the chance to witness to four nurses. They started talking about the city. Jerry begin to share all the things he liked about the city and then he listened to their responses; only one of the three nurses was positive. The discussion went really well as the Holy Spirit showed up. Jerry was able to bring them the message of hope for their city and country. He was even able to give a New Testament to one of the nurses who was obviously unchurched. 

Our heart is to see hope restored in people and of course we know the One who IS that hope!

Prayer Points:
1)    Our attitudes are much more important to the Lord than our knowledge or even our obedience. Pray for the attitudes of the people of Zagreb and the foreigners that live here.

2)    Jeremiah 29:7 And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace. We are captivated by God’s love for this city. Lord, we pray for Your peace to descend upon Zagreb!

3)    Galatians 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. Let us pray for the churches of Zagreb, because they do stand responsible for the moral climate of the city.

4)    We have a deep desire for Christians of excellence to be raised up in Zagreb. Let us pray for boldness to come upon those that the Lord desires to use to invade the culture. the institutions of government, education, media, etc.

5)    One of the pastors leads a monthly prayer meeting for Zagreb and this event will be this coming Friday, Feb. 19th. Pray that these dedicated intercessors from several churches will touch heaven and cause a release of grace upon the city.

6)    May the Body of Christ be a light to Zagreb, a city on a hill bringing hope to the hurting.

For more about Intentional Strategies for Transformation see our website - www.ISTgroup.org