If you enter your details below and sign up to your local family centre and ministry, you can be sure you will always receive the right information when we send it out.

If you have pictures or videos you wish to share, please send them to pictures@wordinternational.org.uk so we can post them here along with several other videos, including the “making off.”

For anyone who wishes to know more about Seeds of Hope, please contact Sis. Babes.

On the Rise of Threats Against Christendom

Considering the Threats

In the past few months I have been constantly receiving emails and clippings sounding the alarm about ominous growth of religious extremism in Europe and seeming threats to the existence of Christianity.

The messages, the information and the predictions (prophecies) therein were indeed worrying! It gives me that unsettling feeling that Armageddon is right within our doorstep! One email I received described how some known church denominations are making their last ditch stand to save Europe from losing its Christian heritage.

I am struggling to come to terms with my senses because the aforementioned thoughts are quite daunting. So how should I react as a pastor, as a leader, as a husband, as a father and as an individual living in this pluralistic society?

Well, I could pick up with what others are doing, and embark on a massive evangelism onslaught so that many people will become Christian. But isn’t this what every follower of Christ was supposed to do? Threat or no threat, this is what our Lord told us to do! In fact it feels uncanny to use this as a counter measure to prevent threats to Christian existence. Witnessing for Christ is never a tool for self preservation, if done for this purpose it looses its meaning. To witness for Christ is to bring the love of God to the world, through our Lord Jesus Christ! Which means, we continue to preach Christ regardless of any colonizing agenda, and to share the love of Christ even to those who threatens us!

Or maybe I can organize a massive prayer rally? Storm the gates of heaven, and “speak”[1] victory over the various threats looming against the whole of Christendom! But, I remember a similar situation (Acts 4:23 -31) that happened in the early church, when the apostles where imprisoned. The followers of Christ did not “speak” over things for victory to happen, but in one accord they cried out to the Lord of heaven and earth to “grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word” and that signs and wonders will follow such proclamation in the name of “Your Holy Servant Jesus.” They pleaded God to empower them to be the witness of the glory of the resurrected Christ; not to have the power to make things happen by “speaking.”

This is exciting but it is bound to be a futile religious exercise if after everyone has spent shouting and crying their prayers, nobody is willing to be one of those servants who will speak the word with boldness. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that God does answer the prayers of His people; but only if it is according to His will, intent, plan and purpose!

Hmm…that makes sense; maybe before I start getting into panic mode and rushing on with programs of what to do, I need to know what God is saying to us, His people. Why does He allow these events to unfold and threaten the very roots of our existence, His own people?

Similar Threats in the Scriptures

As we look into the Scriptures it is evident that similar threats had happened time and again to the people of Israel. And interestingly the Bible tells us that God Himself had caused other nations to rise against His own people; in the time of Judges, the Assyrian invasions of Israel (of the divided kingdom) and of course the Babylonian invasion of Judah. How did the people of Israel and their leaders react during the time when these threats were upon them? Perhaps like our natural response today, they would seek to neutralize the threats by political maneuvers, or find an ally, even an ungodly one to strengthen our ranks or as a last resort, flex our muscles and subdue. Many prophets (religious and king’s court advisers) and political leaders favored either one or all of these strategies, except for the true prophets of God who cried out unpopular messages and measures! These bunch of prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Amos and company cried out politically incorrect suggestions, “do not fight the enemy but instead repent, do justice, free the oppressed, be kind to your neighbors and be faithful to the LORD!”

The Reason for the Threats

These unpopular “whistle blowers” where crying out “foul” against their own political and religious leaders, and to the affluent aristocrats who were oppressing the common people! He accused them of leading the general public to destruction by dishonoring and turning away from their constitution (covenant with the LORD); by assimilating other ways of doing justice, moral judgment and spiritual service to the LORD. As a result, God’s judgment befell them! The prophet’s case against the leaders of Israel was defamation of the Holy name of the LORD, before God’s people and the nations that surround them.

The prophet Isaiah bluntly stated God’s case against the nations (Isaiah 1:21 -23):

How the faithful city has become a harlot!
It was full of justice
Righteousness was lodged on it,
But now murderers
Your silver has become dross,
Your wine mixed with water
Your princes are rebellious,
And companions of thieves,
Everyone loves bribes
And follows after rewardsThey do not defend the fatherless
Nor does the cause of the widow come before them

In a similar fashion, Jeremiah speaking on behalf of the LORD accused the nations (Jer. 2:11, 13):

Has a nation changes its gods,
Which are not gods?
But My people have changed their Glory
For what does not profit.
For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me,  the fountain of living waters,
And had hewn themselves cisterns – broken cisterns that can hold no water.

At this point we must be aware that the people had not changed their religion, they still believed in the LORD, they still performed the Sabbath and other rituals, but what went wrong was that they had twisted the ways of the LORD to serve their pleasures and nationalistic fervor. As it was recorded, the leaders and the people did not heed the call of the prophets and so continued in their misguided belief that the LORD was with them and that they could conquer their enemies. They ignored and persecuted the prophets of the LORD and instead listened to the false prophets that presented false security in their religion.

The Message of Jesus

The Lord Jesus came to this earth when the religion of Judaism was struggling to survive against Hellenism and Roman Pagan religion[2]. Jerusalem had witnessed bloody Jewish struggles and revolts against foreign ruler’s attempt to undermine Judaism by desecrating the temple and forbidding the Jews to observe their rituals.

It was at this time where Jewish messianic expectation was at its peak. The Jewish nation was looking forward for its freedom, the defeat of the Roman Empire and renewal of its rule as in the day of Solomon. They needed someone to lead the nation to its glory! They perceived the Romans and its pagan society as the evil that needed to be destroyed.

However, when Jesus begun proclaiming the coming of the kingdom of God, His message and His suggestion to the nation was a disappointment. He did not advocated arms struggle; He did not endorsed civil disobedience even more so He did not picked on Rome as the source of problem but instead implicated the Jewish leaders (political and religious) as the reason for the suffering of the nations. Worse so, He was proclaiming that the coming of the Kingdom of God would usher later on to the destruction of the temple and their religious system.

Instead of uprising, Jesus called the Jews to pray for and cooperate with the Romans, and instead of judging the Roman Empire He called the Jewish nation to repent and follow Him. Yet his peaceful message proved to be so absurd to the hearing of His people. They did not heed to His message and instead listened to the voice of the revolutionaries and the nationalistic thrust of their religious leaders. And history tells us that Jerusalem was leveled to the ground in 70 AD as Jesus had foretold.

Reconsidering the Threats

After reflecting on the Scripture and history, it seems wise to reconsider the message of the prophets and of the LORD during similar difficulties in the history of God’s people rather than bark aimlessly hoping to scare away the threats mentioned in the beginning of our discussion.

Could it be that these threats are here because we have failed and we have defiled the Name of our LORD? Have we rightfully represented the Lord Jesus Christ and God, our Father before the world? Have we glorified the Name of God or have we blasphemed His Holy Name?

Consider the following:

• Many wars that have been fought where many innocent lives were lost, most of which were led by nations professing to be Christians.

• The disproportionate economic imbalance between so called Christian western nations and the poor countries, where the resources of the poor countries are harnessed for the pleasure of the rich.

• The breakdown of family life in most so called Christian nations.

• Condoning of homosexuality, divorce and marital separation within major church institutions.

• Identification of alcoholism, drug addiction, vices and pornography with the Christian western nations.

• The exorbitant display of wealth of box-office religious leaders while 2/3 of the world is suffering.

Most of the above are stereotype perceptions of Christianity among those who do not believe in our faith. I myself do not fully agree with everything but painful as it may be, there is a grain of truth to it.

So as conclusion, I must undergo a self-reflection, repent from my selfish arrogant assessment of my standing with God and do my part in bringing the love of God to this world. Witness for Jesus not to conquer but to show His love, serve instead of lording, understand the people who do not share my faith, perceive them as humans and not as villains.

God has His own just way and if through these threats it will bring us to the realization of our transgression and pride, He is right and just to do it! Our part is to respond to His word and behave like His people!

Rene Nepomuceno

[2] Emperor worship evolved during the time of the LORD, this became a great obstacle for Judaism and later Christianity.

PAYMENT:
1) For those of you who will be paying the camp fee by CARD, please pay through Word International’s website before this coming Sunday 2nd August.
2) For those of you who will be paying the camp fee by CASH, please pay by Sunday or on Monday at camp registration.

MEETING TIME AND PLACE:
When:      Monday, August 3rd 2009
Where:    Euston Station (Northern Line) Meeting point will be in front of the fast food store Subway.
Time:      10:00am Prompt

The Coach would be arriving approximately 10:30am in front of Ibiz Hotel and would promptly be leaving at 11:00am. We require you to arrive PROMPTLY so we will have time to allocate Coach seats and load luggage.

For those who are taking the Coach to get to the Venue, everyone please bring your own packed lunch on Monday as we will not be arriving at the venue on time for their scheduled lunch time. Once again please Campers bring your own packed lunch on Monday the 3rd August.
We apologize for any inconvenience caused.

PLEASE SPREAD THIS IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO OUR FELLOW CAMPERS!
God Bless and see you all very, very soon

By Thomas a Kempis

FORWARD

Thomas Kempis was considered a representative of devotio moderna (modern devotion) form of mysticism. In this famous writing The Imitation of Christ, he gives an account of the condition of the human soul, fallen and corrupt. He therefore encouraged Christians in his days to fight this dreadful situation by daily reflection and devotion, and to follow and imitate Christ.

Thomas Kempis lived before the reformation era (1380 – 1471) and his writings were intended to bring Christian life away from the corrupt and worldly practices that has pervaded the Christian institutions of his time.

As we read The Imitation of Christ, we may find some of his thoughts as too far fetch and unreasonable for today’s liberal reasoning.  However, this does not remove the value of learning from his passion and sincere dedication to live a life worthy to be called a follower of Christ.

I recommend this reading to our small groups communities for the following reasons:

• To learn and understand how pre reformation Christians responded to the worldliness that invaded the institutional church of their days.
• To become familiar how the early Christians understood what it is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.
• To regain the lost spiritual insight and understanding of the “olden days” which cannot be found in today’s materialistic “prosperity centered” gospels.
• To amend our lives to faithful discipleship just as a’ Kempis intends.

Finally, I believe it is very important for us today to revisit and consult our history and the faithful followers of the Lord Jesus who have gone ahead of us, disciples of Jesus whose dedication and passion to live godly lives to be paramount in their walk with Christ.

Rene Nepomuceno

12 June 2009

To view full article:
Imitation of Christ.pdf

Download the Youth Camp 2009 Flyer

Over the coming week, we will be revising the registration details so that when you login, you will be asked to fill in additional information such as your arrival time and your accomodation requirements. This will help us plan and manage the logistics surrounding the event, but don’t worry we will be emailing you these details as soon as we are ready to launch.

The email address you used on the registration form is your login name and when you signed up, you defined a password as well or one was sent to you. Check your inbox or spam folder for emails from wordinternational.org.uk

Remember, your registration is only confirmed if we have received your registration payment as well.

Thanks

Standing @ the CROSSroad

Dear Youth,

It is our pleasure to invite you to our upcoming WIN Regional Youth Camp on August 3-7. The camp will take place in The Hayes, which is located in the beautiful countryside of Derbyshire. The same Christian Trust that manages High Leigh, the venue of last year’s camp operates The Hayes. As a result of the discount granted to us, we are pleased to let you know that the camp fee is still £ 170. This includes full boarding for the entire duration of the camp.

The theme of this year’s camp is Standing @ the CROSSroad. It reflects the reality of many teenagers today who oftentimes find themselves at crossroads of life, facing crucial decisions and difficult changes. We are praying God will use this year’s camp to continue directing us on our life journey, as we remain committed to follow Jesus and obey His word, which is ‘light unto our path’.

We kindly request you and the youth attending from your country to register by making a down payment of £ 50 until April 30.

Click here to register.

We thank you all for you participation last year and are looking forward to welcoming you again this summer. Let us keep this event in prayer.

In His service,

All 4Him – UK

As we enter this new year with the gloomy economic predictions looming above us and our hearts and mind grappling in anguish over the sad state of our world, let us draw near to God that our sorrow may turn into joy and our worries replaced with hope.

Like the psalmist, “It is good for me to draw near to God;” – Psalm 73:28, let us move nearer to God, who is the only source of all good things.

Indeed, all good things comes from God, in him we will find pleasure and favor for He gives rest to our weary mind and heart. In Him we find delight for He provides us wih things we need for pleasant life. In Him we are secured for His mercy and grace protects us even from our misgivings. And, in Him we find life abundant, freedom and acceptance which the world can not give.

All these good things are free gifts, that comes through His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

May the Lord our God, Creator of all good things, grants you favor this coming year!

Pastor Rene