Muddling Toward Maturity Blog

FLASHBACK: BILLY GRAHAM ON TV PROGRAM "WHAT'S MY LINE?"

The date was Oct. 9, 1960 and Billy had just concluded a 3-day series of meetings for Spanish speaking people in Madison Square Garden in New York City.   Those of a certain age will find this rerun of great interest.   Ht: GV  Note:  Billy Graham celebrated his 99th birthday on Nov. 7, 2017.  

CHINA'S LOVE OF MUSIC AND CHRISTIAN FAITH

 

CBN'S George Thomas: Transcript

BEIJING -- China loves music. A new survey shows hundreds of millions listen to it on a regular basis. Now a small, but growing number of Chinese Christians are tapping into that market with a genre of music they hope will impact the world's most populous nation. 

Xu Chi is part of that movement. Xu was a rock singer for 20 years. 

He performed in nightclubs and other venues around China. But the fame and wealth, he says, did nothing to quench the emptiness he felt inside.

"It took me sometime to admit it, but the pleasure was temporary. It did not reach down into my soul," Xu told CBN News.

From Rock to the Gospel

Xu said that all changed in a single moment and transformed his singing career.

SEAN MCDOWELL - "WHAT MAKES CHRISTIANITY UNIQUE?"

A lot could be said on this topic.  Sean McDowell offers a good beginning:

 

Sean offers three brief points:  1) Christianity is testable  2) Christianity has grace  3) Christianity has Jesus at the center

Sean McDowell, a major speaker and author in is own right, is the son of famed Christian speaker Josh McDowell.

REVIVAL IN IRAN: "I WANT TO BE A CHRISTIAN"

CENTRAL TURKEY -- When we think of Iran, scenes of mobs shouting "death to America," blindfolded hostages, and radical leaders demanding nuclear technology come to mind.

But there's another side of the country: Iranians who love America, Israel, and Jesus Christ.

CBN News Middle East Bureau Chief Chris Mitchell met and talked with some of these Iranian believers outside of their country in central Turkey.  Chris Mitchell  reports:

 

Transcript:

When someone gets baptized in this house church, people clap and cheer like fans at a World Cup match. While they've suffered persecution and often fled for their lies, they still possess an infectious and joyous faith like Iranian believer Raizal.

"Growing up I wanted to say I grew up [with] Jesus Christ," Raizal told CBN News. "Every time, His name was in my mind. And the next moment I started liking Christianity."

"It was really sweet to me, the feelings, the stories, everything. So by the time I was 15, I believed in Him and I said I want to be a Christian," he said.

Many Iranian refugees have fled Iran and come here to Turkey where they can seek refugee status with the United Nations. Some say it's just like coming out of the darkness.

TV BRINGS THE GOSPEL TO IRAN 24/7

George Thomas of CBN News, files the story: "Tired of Islam, Iranians Ask "Who Is This Jesus?" (Click through for video)

UNDISCLOSED LOCATION - Christians are the most persecuted religious minority group in Iran. Iranian believers, especially those who convert from Islam to Christianity, face even more scrutiny.

Now one television channel operating from multiple secret locations is beaming messages of hope directly into the Islamic country and Iranian authorities don't like it one bit.

These are very busy and exciting times atMohabat TV as it carries out its mission of broadcasting Christianity into Iran.

"We are seeing a huge, huge number of Iranians who are reaching out to our channel and our phone center just to reach out and find out more about Jesus," Mike Ansari, who oversees the popular channel, said.

Thirsty for Truth

Since 2006, Mohabat TV has been beaming Christian programs via satellite to Middle East, Europe, and parts of Asia. But for the channel's cast, crew, production, and office staff, their main focus is the Islamic nation of Iran.

"Many of our viewers that are contacting us from Iran, they claim that Islam has not delivered to their expectations. So when they turn the channel on and see Mohabat TV they hear a new message of Jesus, of forgiveness of love of acceptance," Ansari said.

Nazanin Baghestani manages the phone call center operations for the channel.

"Persians are really thirsty for the truth, they really want to know who is this God that we talk about, who is this Jesus, is He real or is He just a prophet?" Baghestani said.

To answer those and many other questions, the channel has deployed Farsi-speaking Christian counselors in different time zones around the world.

Baghestani said they take an average between 8,000 and 10,000 calls a month from Iranians.

"That's when we open the subject, we preach the gospel and so many give their hearts, so many receive Him," Baghestani said.

Secret, Dangerous Broadcasting

But producing Christian programs for Iran is not without its challenges. The bulk of Ansari's productions for the channel are done outside of Iran from multiple secret locations for safety and security reasons.  

"Our channel and our signals are getting jammed on a daily basis inside Iran. It is true that the phone calls are being monitored and people who try to contact us may get persecuted," Ansari said.

AMAZING CHRISTIAN REVIVAL HAPPENING IN NORTH AFRICA

 

George Thomas of CBN News reports:

A Christian revival is touching the northernmost reaches of Africa. In a region once hostile to the gospel, now tens of thousands of Muslims are following Jesus. 

As the sun sets over the Mediterranean Sea, Muslims across Northern Africa are converting to faith in Jesus Christ in record numbers.

"What God is doing in North Africa, all the way from actually Mauritanian to Libya is unprecedented in the history of missions" said Tino Qahoush, a graduate of Regent University and filmmaker.  He has spent years traveling the region to document the transformation.

LITERATE, STABLE "MAJORITY WORLD" DEMOCRACIES LINKED TO EARLY MISSIONARY INFLUENCE

John Stonestreet reports "The Truth About Missionaries."  He says:   Download

For the last several generations, missionaries have gotten a lot of bad press. They’re called cultural imperialists or tools of colonial oppression, and in the pages of books such as “The Poisonwood Bible,” or, for an earlier generation, James Michener’s “Hawaii,” they’re presented as paternalistic, ignorant enemies of glorious indigenous cultures.

Even many supporters of so-called “native missionaries” in Asia, Africa, and Latin America suggest that Western missionaries should just “stay home” and “let the nationals do it.” But a funny thing happened on the way to missionary irrelevance: Ground-breaking, peer-reviewed research reveals that the presence of Protestant missionaries is the greatest predictor of whether a nation develops into a stable representative democracy with robust levels of literacy, political freedom, and women’s rights.  [my emphases]

Yes, you heard that right, and you can read all about it in a fascinating and important cover story in the latest issue of Christianity Today. It describes the painstaking work of Robert Woodberry, whose work on the global spread of democracy has turned scholarship on its head.

Woodberry discovered that you can trace a direct link between the presence of 19^th-century Protestant missionaries and a country’s economic and social development.

Why, for instance, does a seminary in the West African nation of Togo have almost no books for its students, while in neighboring Ghana the schools are full of reading material, including much that is written locally? As summarized by CT author Andrea Palpant Dilley, “British missionaries in Ghana had established a whole system of schools and printing presses. But France, the colonial power in Togo, severely restricted missionaries.”

RAVI ZACHARIAS TO SPEEK AT BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY AND THE MORMON TABERNACLE THIS WEEKEND

He speaks at BYU Friday afternoon at 2:00 PM (EST),  and at the Mormon Tabernacle Saturday evening at 8:30 (EST).  Both talks will be live-streamed.  Details here.

ERIC METAXAS SUGGESTS BOOKS FOR UNBELIEVERS

Anything suggested by Metaxas is worth considering.  Metaxas writes:

Have you wanted to give an unbelieving friend a book about the Christian faith, but afraid it might come across in the wrong way? I’ve got some great reads to recommend.

Listen Now | Download

Recently, Christianity Today asked me to recommend five books that would help non-believers better understand, and hopefully embrace, the Christian faith.

This being the season of giving, I’d like to share the list with BreakPoint listeners and ask you to consider giving these books as gifts to the non-believers God has placed in your life. And all of these books are the best kind of apologetics: apologetics that don’t read like apologetics.

The first book is called “The Searchers: A Quest for Faith in the Valley of Doubt” by Joe Loconte. In an earlier BreakPoint, I called this book a “kind of field guide” to the spiritual restlessness that pervades our culture.

As Loconte tells us, notwithstanding the increasing number of people who don’t identify with any religion, our society is filled with what he calls “God Seekers.” These people “don’t always look in the right places, [but] there’s no doubt that they are seeking.”

"BREAKAWAY" - AMAZING CHRISTIAN STUDENT MOVEMENT AT TEXAS A&M DRAWS THOUSANDS WEEKLY

 Tracy Winborn reports:

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Breakaway Ministries began 25 years ago as a small Bible study on the campus of Texas A&M University, but now it's a weekly gathering with thousands of students on fire for the Lord.

Each Tuesday evening, the students meet at the school's basketball arena for worship, prayer and Bible teaching.

"I went to Breakaway on the first Tuesday night, and it completely rocked my world. I have never in my life just instantly felt that close to thousands of people. It was just amazing," sophomore Rachel Fisher said.

Breakaway Ministries is a non-denominational Bible study. It's mission is to introduce college students to Jesus Christ and call them to walk with Him for a lifetime.

Their passion seems contagious, and it's having what you might call a domino effect.

ARE MEMBERS OF YOUR CHURCH READERS?

Here's a valuable 7 minute clip from Mark Dever, pastor of Capital Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. on "Creating a culture of reading in your church"   H/T Justin Taylor

  I blogged about Mark Dever once before in a post titled, "The Best Sermon on Religion and Politics"

Quick Takes

George Will - Democrats have no respect for the Bill of Rights. 

South Korean customs officials discover thousands of pills filled with powdered human baby flesh

Southern Poverty Law Center refuses to investigate the Left

Eric Metaxas - Christian outreach to  Elites can change history

REACHING IRANIANS WITH THE GOSPEL

Today's email brought a message from Voice of the Martyrs: "Reaching Iran with the Gospel Through Satellite Broadcasts." 

Iranians are incredibly open to the gospel message of Jesus' love and forgiveness. Many are disillusioned with the oppression of Islam and are desperate for the truth.

Every day, more Iranians are hearing the hopeful message of The Way, The Truth and The Life through satellite TV broadcasts.

After watching one of these broadcasts recently, an Iranian family prayed to ask Christ into their hearts. But they were worried they might not have prayed “correctly.” So they made an audio recording of their prayer and sent it to VOM's ministry broadcast partner, Iran Alive, to make sure they had done it right. Their prayer was sincere and heartfelt, and Iran Alive wrote the family to tell them their prayer was a wonderful way of entering Christ's family. The family in Iran then told their Muslim friends about Christ and played the recorded prayer for them. Within a week, 20 more Muslims had come to know Christ!

Here is the prayer that helped 20 Muslims turn to Christ.

 

The Voice of the Martyrs has increased its commitment to supporting Iranian satellite TV channels throughout 2012.  Donations are welcomed.

CHINESE IMMIGRANTS FINDING FAITH IN CHRIST (VIDEO)

I found this CBN News story fascinating.

 

NEW YORK - Chinese immigrants travel to the United States to fulfill the American dreams of freedom, wealth, and a new way of life.

Yet, when they reach America's shores, many find something far more valuable than riches.

Chinese worshippers often gather at the Church of Grace to the Fujanese in New York City. Some congregants have traveled from Boston, Philadelphia, and as far away as Ohio and Tennessee to attend the church.

FANTASTIC STORY OF A PRISONER WHO WAS TOLD, "YOU CAN BE FREE RIGHT HERE WHERE YOU'RE AT"

This is an incredibly moving story.  I've had the privilege of meeting this man.  He's for real.  He's out of prison now.  This is well worth 12 minutes of your time.

 

MANY IN THE UK BANKING INDUSTRY MOVING TOWARDS CHRISTIAN FAITH

Alex Preston wrote an interesting article titled,  "UK:  God's bankers: How evangelical Christianity is taking a hold of the City of London's financial institutions"   (HT: VirtueOnline)

Many young workers in the UK banking industry are moving towards Christian faith and thereby a grounding in ethics.   They feel it necessary to keep their developing faith hidden from colleagues.  At the same time they are making new acquaintances among like-minded people.   Read the whole thing...

REPORTS FROM THE THIRD LAUSANNE CONGRESS ON WORLD EVANGELIZATION - CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

See my earlier posts on the Lausanne Congress here and here.  The Lausanne Movement is a worldwide movement that mobilizes evangelical leaders to collaborate for world evangelization. www.lausanne.org

Headlines from Assist News:

-- 10-24 Lausanne Congress calls for a ‘Second Reformation’ leading to a Church that resembles Christ   [This article reports on the Lausanne's rejection of "prosperity gospel" teaching.]

-- 10-24 African-American Churches Called on to ‘Confront Low Participation in World Missions’

-- 10-23 Third Lausanne Congress Challenged to Focus on Unengaged, Unreached People Groups

-- 10-22 Faith Meets Global Action, Cape Town 2010

For more information on Cape Town 2010, The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization, go to www.capetown2010.com.  See especially the YouTube Lausanne channel

 

 

Chris Wright, International Director of Langham Partnership International, challenged Christians to confront the idols of power and pride, popularity and success, and wealth and greed. He called the Church to repentance and simplicity.  Wright, author of The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible's Grand Narrative, is a scholar whose work I respect highly.

 

LAUSANNE CONGRESS IN SOUTH AFRICA BRINGS TOGETHER THE MOST ETHNICALLY DIVERSE GROUP OF CHRISTIANS IN HISTORY

I posted below a short video-talk by Joseph D'Souza given at the Lausanne Congress taking place in Cape Town, South Africa.  But I need to introduce the congress to those for whom it is new.  David Virtue, of VirtueOnline, is onsite and posting articles on this historic congress.  He writes:

In Cape Town more than 5,000 men, women and youth have come from 198 nations - literally from every tribe and language and people group. They have one single objective - to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to every person on earth. We are now living in the age of the global church.

There are more languages being spoken here than at Pentecost. This is a gathering of people who are not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ or to tell the truth about Jesus, preaching Good News to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, unreached people's and unengaged (no known missionaries) groups, both old and young. There are 469 out of 639 people groups representing 550 million people who have only recently been reached by mobilizing Christian agencies.. .

The congress is being linked through 700 global link sites in 97 countries reaching 100,000 people in eight languages. The Book of Ephesians is the guiding Biblical document uniting this congress. . . Fully a third of all the participants here at the Lausanne Congress on Evangelism are young people in their late 20s and early 30s. . .

“ISLAM ON CAPITOL HILL” EVENT ATTRACTS FAR LESS THAN EXPECTED

- Update: Pamela Geller posts extensive photos of the event and draws on an Amil Imani commentary that argues Muslims and Muslim organizations are guilty of dissimulation and fraud in representing Islam in the West.

- (Original Post) - Joel Rosenberg offers an excellent report and challenge:

Islamic leaders predicted 50,000 Muslims would arrive on Capitol Hill today to provide a show of Islamic solidarity. It didn’t quite turn out that way.

Less than 3,000 Muslims showed up, according to the Washington Post and other eyewitnesses. And those who did got more than they had bargained for. The followers of Muhammad came for a day of prayer and Islamic sermons, which they got. But they also found dozens of followers of Jesus Christ — some of them evangelicals from from Arab countries — eager to share the gospel with them and pray for them to find the love and forgiveness found in the Bible.

“Our church prepared 2,000 packets to be given out to Muslims at the end of the event,” an evangelical Christian woman who lives in the Washington, D.C. area told me in a phone

HOW CHILDREN COME TO FAITH IN CHRIST

I've long been interested in the spiritual life of children.  This post by Justin Taylor looks interesting:

Ryan Kelly:

In an earlier post I pointed to some resources for wrestling through the issues of the gospel, conversion, and assurance with our kids. One of the best resources I’ve found is the the Family Life Today radio interviews with Jim Elliff, “How Children Come to Faith in Christ.” You can purchase the series on audio CDs here, which I already mentioned. However, in addition I discovered that six of the sessions are available online for free:

1. Genuine Salvation: More Than a Prayer

2. How Children Come to Faith in Christ

3. Taking Our Children to Church: Is That Enough?

4. How to Deal With Doubt

5. Observing Salvation in Your Child: What Does It Look Like?

6. The Family: No Better Place to Come to Know Christ!

Transcripts are also available at the bottom of each of these pages’ links.

I cannot recommend these talks enough to any parent wanting to be thoughtful, careful, and prayerful in the salvation of their children.

Eric Metaxas and "Socrates in the City"

What a fascinating article!   It explains how "New York Christians speak the language of the city to reach a lost tribe: America’s cultural elites."  Readers will find this article by Marvin Olasky interesting and eye-opening, maybe encouraging and challenging as well!  (HT: Justin Taylor)

TIM KELLER ON EVANGELISM

The Florida Baptist Witness published the following article: