Displaying items by tag: British Isles

Jesus, Paul and John warned of counterfeit spiritual activity and false doctrine in the last days - Christians will fall away. The following are observations from David Noakes - It is of vital importance in these days that we are alert to the dangers of false teaching. Those of us who teach must be diligent to declare the whole counsel of God; it was only on that basis that Paul was able to declare ‘I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God’ (Acts 20:27). He was warning the Ephesian church elders to be equally diligent saying that we in the church need to re-examine our diet of the seemingly-endless flow of books and magazines, and to ensure that above all we are fully acquainted and familiar with the whole of the Bible. Only by knowing what is in God's word can we walk in safety.

The following was posted online by Passion for the Nation on 9 April. ‘So be wise as serpents, and innocent as doves’. In the Name of Jesus, we declare the political figures, the diplomatic service and the intelligence services in this nation will be marked out by their wisdom, authority and compassion, that they will be wise as serpents, carrying no self-serving agenda. Even as ‘A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.’ (Proverbs 15:1) we declare our government will be slow to speak, slow to anger and their words will produce the fruit of righteousness for this nation and the nations. Now, in the Name of Jesus, over the current confrontation between Russia and the UK, we declare truth will emerge, ungodliness will be revealed.

In 1997 the Chemical Weapons treaty came into force. Its full title is ‘The Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction’. In 2013 Syria agreed to the treaty. On 7 April 2018 Syrian activists, rescue workers and medics reported toxic chemicals dropped on Douma with Assad’s approval. It is believed not to be Syria’s first violation of the treaty. At the time of writing, because of chemical weapons use in Syria, Russia and America are threatening opposing military action over Syrian ground and airspace. Theresa May's cabinet has ‘agreed on the need to take action’. They are also considering military options with US and French allies. Key prayers for our MOD - What British forces might be used? The targets. What’s the overall strategic aim? Key prayers for Whitehall - How to avoid escalating the conflict? See World article 1

The Zizzi restaurant and sites across Salisbury remain cordoned off after Sergei and Yulia Skripal were found poisoned by Novichok nerve-agent in the area last month. The Bishop of Salisbury is inviting members of the public to a special service to celebrate the community life of the city at St. Thomas’ Church at 3 pm on Sunday 15 April. The service will include city leaders in business and community, plus members of the emergency and public services to give thanks for the work they do and pray for those affected by the attack. At the conclusion of the service they will go in procession to the site where the Skripals were found for a ceremony to symbolically ‘reclaim Salisbury for the common good’. The service will include hymns and prayers from both Russia and this country, as well as readings from the Christian Bible - the grounding of both cultures.

In the midst of a depressing and sometimes frightening diplomatic crisis, with international media and government accusations and statements, the UK police issued a positive statement on 5 April. It was a message from Russian spy Sergei Skripal's daughter Yulia: ‘I woke up over a week ago now, and am glad to say my strength is growing every day.’ She also said she was grateful for the many messages of goodwill and the care she had received. Mr Skripal, 66, remains critically ill but stable.

National Education Union leader Kevin Courtney said official statistics showed 4,050 special needs pupils did not have a suitable school place in 2017 in England, up from 1,710 in 2016. Lack of designated funding means growing numbers of our most vulnerable children are left without appropriate support in a suitable school environment. The Government said money for schools and special needs was protected, and councils are allocated funds for special needs in both mainstream and special schools through their ‘high needs’ budgets. However, shortfalls in these budgets leave them ‘cash flat’ (the total does not account for inflation), while the number of pupils needing special programmes has been growing. Pupils with autism, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, ADHD, and other learning or physical disabilities need extra equipment and trained support staff to enable them to reach their full potential.

Prison Fellowship, a Christian organisation, is part of a global movement of people motivated by their faith to transform lives and communities by bringing love in action, acting with justice and showing mercy. They write: ‘Our dream is ‘to see every life in prison transformed! Our mission is to show Christ’s love to prisoners by coming alongside them and supporting them. We seek through prayer and practical care to help, support, and develop a Christian ministry to prisoners and their families.’ They do this through a network of volunteers - currently over 2,400 across England and Wales. Prayer is the basis for all that they do, and where it all started. All activities are underpinned by prayer through PF groups that meet monthly.

It is fair to say that movies with Christian themes are getting better, and seeing box-office profits. The successful ‘I Can Only Imagine’ has so far made $38 million. The play ‘The Case for Christ’ made $15 million profit. On Easter Sunday, the Broadway musical ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ returned on NBC as a live television event. In the UK, Timeless International Christian Media LLC produce and distribute Christian videos; and True Films are producing British feature films with core Christian values. Christian home entertainment is edifying and challenging the viewer. We are living in a culture where we spend more time than ever looking at a screen for our information and relaxation. Pray for more Christians to enter film production. See

When IS took over a Dominican convent in the Nineveh plains, Sister Ban Madleen fled to Erbil and set up kindergartens for the refugees’ children there. She has a sister living in the UK who has now become sick. To visit her, she needs a Home Office entry visa. However, immigration officials refused the visa because she had not provided confirmation that the Dominican sisters would fund her visit, and they were not satisfied that she is ‘genuinely seeking entry for a permissible purpose’. Rather than allowing her to provide the necessary evidence, they said, ‘There is no right of appeal or right to administrative review’. They acknowledged the importance of family visits, and agreed that when she last visited the UK (in 2011) she complied with visa terms. However, they also noted that she had not visited since then, failing to recognise that there might be valid reasons for this.

A report by the Joint Committee on Human Rights details how freedom of speech at universities is being restricted. It mentions ‘safe spaces’ as a limit on speech, as well as confusion around the Prevent programme and unnecessary red tape in organising external speakers. Many groups had cancelled events, had guests banned, or were put off organising events because of the hurdles they had to overcome. CARE, in a submission to the committee, said it was particularly concerned about how current definitions of extremism were being wrongly applied to nonviolent individuals and groups, instead of to those who could draw people into terrorism. This has led to many speakers and groups being ‘no platformed’ and to their views being excluded from public debate because they were considered offensive by some, particularly people of faith.