Vol 83 No 1 1 July 2020

Free On Request: office@nlife.com.au

‘Tell the people the full message of this new life’ – Acts 5.20b www.nlife.com.au

TELLING THE GREAT WORKS OF CHRIST IN THE WORLD TODAY

THE JESUS FILM: Sharing The Gospel Through The Power Of Film

40 is a significant number for Christians. God’s people, Israel, spent 40 years in the wilderness after God brought them out of Egypt. Jesus Himself spent 40 days and nights fasting in the desert, just as Moses had done before Him. And this year, the JESUS Film turns 40. To mark the significance of 40 years of this life-changing movie, we look at its remarkable history. This story begins well before 40 years ago. Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, was thinking through the evangelistic po-tential of film way back in 1945. By 1974 the time seemed right to make the dream of a feature-length film about Jesus a reality. The movie was released in 1979. After five years of research and produc-tion (to ensure the movie was an effective, accurate, and trusted cross-cultural tool for evangelism) the movie was released. Filmed in over 200 locations around Israel, and featuring a cast of over 5,000 people, the JESUS Film is the only major motion picture to be based on the exact Gospel of Luke. Fast forward to 2001, and the JESUS Film is shown in every country around the globe. The film was especially viewed as a source of com-fort to New York after the dark and devastating attacks of 9/11. Today, the JESUS Film has been translated into over 1,800 lan-guages and viewed over 8 billion times all around the world. The team have partnered with more than 1,500 ministries, resulting in more than 500 million people coming to Christ. What an incredible, ongoing legacy! Through the JESUS Film project, there is now a library which in-cludes more than 200 short and feature-length films. This library is freely available to be streamed online or via the newly-released JESUS Film app. Geoff Folland, from Power to Change (formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ Australia) shares some of the ways the JESUS Film app is being used today: ‘People are using it in short-film festivals, so-cial media campaigns, churches and kids’ programs, home discussion groups and outreach events. It’s also being widely used on university campuses. Students invite friends from different belief backgrounds and cultures to a zoom dinner. They share their screen and use the JESUS Film app to enjoy a movie and then engage with the Gospel.’ Power to Change wants to share the powerful resource of the JESUS Film app as the now 40-year-old JESUS Film has been recog-nised by the Guinness Book Of World Records as the ‘Most Translated Film’ in history shows just how seriously they take their goals. Visit the Apple App Store or Google Play to download the JESUS Film app to witness the power of forgiveness and unconditional love through this library of inspiration. Connect with Power to Change online, www.powertochange.org.au or contact Geoff Folland on 0432 250 802 for more information.

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VOLUME 83 NUMBER 1

ISSUE DATE: 1 July 2020

FILE NO: NL 2020-07-01

ISSN: 1033-7903

FOUNDER: Eric J. Daley (1910-1992)

EDITOR: Rev Bob Thomas Phone: 0417 592 646 Email: editor@nlife.com.au Postal Address: PO Box 457 Mitcham VIC 3132

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TELLING THE GREAT WORKS OF CHRIST IN THE WORLD TODAY

Stay Focused, Stay Obedient 2020! What A Year! 2020 has brought just about three years’ worth of trouble. It’s a year that will go down in history as one of the craziest years and it will have our childrens’ jaws dropping as we retell the tales. When we made our transition into this new year, with hopes, dreams and words from the Lord, I doubt there are many of us who foresaw half of what 2020 has brought. Yet God in His sovereignty and omniscience has birthed many great things in the body of Christ and will continue to do so in the next season. Lessons And Distractions I spent approximately three months at home, going out only when it was com-pletely necessary, which was about five times. This is perfect for my intro-verted soul and I had sufficient human contact with my millennial siblings and sister in law. It’s incredible how much that time at home allowed me to grow in intimacy with the Lord. It’s also incredible how it showed up my inconsistency, as work was no longer a sufficient excuse. It showed how porous a lot of my reasons were for not pursuing the Lord. But I decided to cut the excuses and started pursuing the Lord. One of the major lessons from this time was obedience – and that com-ing from a place of love for God. Stay Focussed We have the opportunity to fill the Earth with the glory of God by walking in our specific assignments, and obedience though difficult is the foundation. A lot has been going on in this year. As if Covid-19 wasn’t enough, here comes a resurgence of civil unrest which has now affected the world. I believe in the midst of this chaos, God is challenging His Church to stay focused. That is not to say that racial issues should be ignored by the Church, in fact I’m saying quite the opposite. Racial injustice is more systemic than the historians and advocates of our time share about. It goes farther into the fundamental prob-lem of sin. I believe in God’s cry for us to remain focused on Him and the spe-cific assignments for our lives will be the answer to systemic injustice. I believe that when we operate daily in obedience we will see the unfolding of the big picture of righteousness and justice that our hearts cry for. Stay focused. Stay Obedient Count the cost of following Jesus daily, because He is worthy. When we look at the sacrifice of Jesus it should put into perspective the things we complain about in the Western world. We cower at someone commenting in disapproval of our stance for Jesus on social media. We withdraw ourselves from conversa-tions for fear of looking radical. The things God requires of us, more often than not require a denying of self. But obedience is beautiful! When we look at the outworking of the disciples, the early church fathers, the modern day mission-aries, we see a picture of the glory of God. Our submission to Christ yields beautiful and lasting fruit. If there was any-thing that God confronted me most with during 2020, it’s this, my obedience and submission to Him out of love is for His people and for His glory. Stay obedient. Jhonelle Grant, a Jesus enthusiast and Christian youth leader.

Jhonelle is a lover of all things related to discipleship, and is a freelance writer.

– Press Service International

There’s a new ministry to help preachers hone the gift that is in them. The Expository Preaching Trust is a charitable trust and is able to receive donations from churches and individuals who wish to promote faithful expository preaching. EPT is headed up by David Cook, who preaches at conventions throughout the world as well as continuing to lecture on preaching at Colleges in Australia. Formerly he was Principal of Sydney Missionary and Bible College for 26 years, having first been minister of Wee Waa and Ashfield Pres-byterian Churches. After leaving SMBC David and his wife, Maxine, set up the Expository Preaching Trust in order to encourage faithful and engaging preaching of the Bible. David runs Preaching Clubs, called Lather And Shave, which consist of 12 preachers meeting quarterly in order to encourage one another in preaching. The Expository Preaching Trust works under a Board which is chaired by Rev Dr David Burge. Other members of the Board are Ms Jenny Salt, Rev Stuart Coulton and the Secretary/Treasurer is Mr Phillip Sanders. Other preachers used in the Trust for Preach-ing Workshops include Rev David Jones of Hobart, Rev Josh Swarts of Redlands Presbyterian Church, Brisbane, Rev Dr David Burge of SMBC, and Rev Steve Young of Springwood Anglican. ‘Lather And Shave’? The Lather And Shave Club meets once a quarter at Abbotsford and Cronulla. Clubs are designed to sharpen pastors in their preaching so that they may preach with more

clarity as they expound and apply the Bible in their local contexts. Members enjoy decent coffee, good food and a warm camaradery. Their main aim, however, is to sharpen each other in the task of preaching faithfully, clearly, from the text and in an engaging manner. Each gathering starts with a presentation on an aspect of preaching, usually delivered by David. Following this, members cri-tique one another as they take turns in preaching a sermon. Critique is via the lather and shave method: Lathering: what was good? Shaving: where could this sermon be improved? Currently, two men's Lather And Shave Clubs meet once a quarter in Abbotsford and Cronulla. They are clubs designed to sharpen pastors' preaching as they expound and apply the Bible in their local contexts. Currently there are no women's groups, but enquiries would be welcome. Much more detail and lists of resources will be found at: eptrust.org.au

‘USEFUL UNTO YOU’ ‘USEFUL UNTO YOU’

NEW LIFE – 1 July 2020 – Page ThreeNEW LIFE – 1 July 2020 – Page Three

Here’s Help For Preachers:

VISITING MELBOURNE? You’re welcome at The Faith Factory:

ST KILDA: Cnr Alma Rd/Barkly St. Every Sunday 11am & 7pm; Living Stones Korean Presbyterian Church. Every Sunday 1pm;

BALACLAVA: Cnr Hotham St/Denman Rd. Every Sunday 9.30am. Rev Luke Isham 0437 672 530

You’re Welcome At The Faith Factory – A Friendly, Caring, Bible-Believing Christian Fellowship –

To Look Up Back Issues Of New Life Right Back To August 2007

Go To: www.nlife.com.au And Click On: Previous Issues Bound Volumes Back To Vol 1, No 1 Are Held In The Library Of MST,

5 Burwood Hwy, Wantirna 3152

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NEW LIFE – 1 July 2020 – Page FourNEW LIFE – 1 July 2020 – Page Four

POSITION VACANT: ASSOCIATE EDITOR

With the impending retirement of the Rev Bob Thomas

as Editor of New Life, the New Life Board seeks expressions of interest

from persons wishing to take up the position of Associate Editor for a probationary period of six months

to gain experience in the production of New Life, an understanding of the ethos of New Life,

and with a view to succeeding the present Editor.

An important part of the Associate Editor’s work, at first, would be upgrading and updating the New Life website,

and investigating other means of promoting the magazine, while also assisting in covering events, expanding our network of contributors

and becoming conversant with the production of New Life.

The Associate Editor must be firmly committed to the Conservative Evangelical Christian Faith,

computer literate, with a knowledge of desk-top publishing, and have the ability to superintend

the whole operation of New Life Australia Ltd.

This is a part-time position which would be particularly helpful for a person with other commitments but who still has time to devote

approximately 10 hours per week to New Life.

Please contact the Rev Bob Thomas by 15 July, Phone: 0417 592 646,

Email: editor@nlife.com.au for further details

and terms of employment.

(Closing date extended because of lateness of the previous issue)

NEW LIFE – 1 July 2020 – Page FiveNEW LIFE – 1 July 2020 – Page Five

FAITH NEWS FAITH NEWS with with Stan Hunt Stan Hunt

How To ... Get Along With Teenagers A new, weekly resource from LifeWay Students provides step-by-step help for discipling teenagers. For many busy families, discipleship is either relegated to church, or is too big of a task for parents to know where to begin. Zac Workun, LifeWay student ministry specialist says they cre-ated guides that would also help student pastors partner with parents who need next steps. Mr Workun told Baptist Press that LifeWay Students Guides are framed around a different theme each month such as patience and control, being pre-sent on purpose and growing faith. Conversations, activities and prayers throughout the month help parents point to Scripture and model for their teenagers how to cast their cares on God. The guides come in PDF, Word document and email formats that allow student pastors to customize and send each week to the parents of students in their ministry. More information can be found at: https://www.lifeway.com/parentpartner.com

– Baptist Press COVID‐19 Gives Opportunity For Enquirers To Put Toe‐In‐The‐Water Many churches are seeing increased attendance at online courses that explain Christianity. Some churches have reported their course participants have doubled since the move to the internet. Rev Phil Wheeler is director of Evangelism And New

Churches at Sydney’s Emu Plains Anglican Church. He says online seems to be a toe-in-the-water space for people to explore faith at a time of uncertainty and anxiety. He says church doors might be closed but the hearts are open. The Gospel is never bound. Participants have included church members and non-members, some of whom at the course beginning said they were not Christians, but by the end of the course some non-members became confessing Christians.

– Sydneyanglicans.net COVID‐19 Opens Up Participation In Virtual Mission Trip What began as a planned trip to South Asia for 12 graduating seminary students evolved into a vir-tual mission trip for 221 participants. Because all mission trips were cancelled due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, Baptist leadership in South Asia sent invitations for a virtual mission trip. The goal of the virtual mission trip was to recruit workers and share how they can join the work in South Asia. One of the leaders told Baptist Press the need for more workers in South Asia is dire. The participants heard about the people and places in South Asia, and what steps to take for serving overseas. It was such a success that the leader-ship in South Asia has plans to host additional vir-tual mission trips for churches interested in partnering with the Baptist mission in South Asia.

READ: READ: Evidence For The Deity Of ChristEvidence For The Deity Of Christ by David Holden at www.defenceofthefaith.org

Sing! Global: World-Wide Worship On The World-Wide Web World‐renowned Christian hymn writers, Keith and Kristyn Getty, have announced details of a six continent virtual worship event. The four-day Sing! Global event is set to feature more than 100 speakers and artists. Orga-nizers have spent months planning to inspire a global au-dience with theological and artistic excellence. Sing! Global will feature worship sessions led by celebrated musicians from six continents as well as concerts and Bible teaching. Josh Sutton, Head of Development for Getty Music, says that they are anticipating tens of thousands of people from around the globe to participate in this virtual event. Keith Getty says he believes it will be the most-watched global worship event in history. The event will take place from 30 August to 2 September. The content will be available for 90 days to allow people time to immerse themselves in the breadth of teaching and worship. More details can be found at www.gettymusicworshipconference.com – ASSIST News Service

Keith and Kristyn Getty

As a tactic, siege has been used repeatedly during the Syrian crisis, by both sides. From the outside, a vil-lage, town or district is surrounded and its supply-lines severed. On the inside, hardship, fear and anger mount as besieged locals watch their food, water and medical supplies run dry. The aim of a siege is to create a pres-sure-cooker environment so horrendous that it will ul-timately culminate in a coup, a revolt or a surrender. The USA's Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, which took effect on 17 June, places Damascus in a state of economic siege. The Act mandates that any foreign en-tity found to be conducting business with the Syrian Government or 'entering into contracts related to re-construction' in areas controlled by the Syrian, Russian or Iranian governments will face US sanctions. Thus, the Act will not apply to business and reconstruction in the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, nor in Idlib, a jihadist sanctuary under the protection of Turkey, nor in the eastern oil fields of Deir ez Zor which are controlled by Islamic jihadists under US protection. As in 2011, regime change efforts will doubtless fail for Syria's ethnic and religious minorities (including

Assyrians and Armenians, Alawites and Christians), as well as her large cohort of largely secular, cosmopoli-tan, anti-Muslim Brotherhood Sunni Muslims who do not want to risk an Islamist takeover! While it is highly probable that the Syrian government will survive the sanctions, the same cannot be said for Syria's Chris-tians, most of whom (including those displaced by war) live in areas controlled by the Syrian government, where they are both safe and free. Will the Hungarian government be sanctioned if it continues to assist per-secuted Christians with reconstruction through its Hungary Helps program? Will aid groups such as the Assyrian Aid Society, Open Doors or Aid to the Church in Need, or Assyrians and Armenians in Syria's dias-pora community, face sanctions for helping decimated and devastated Christian communities rebuild? Chris-tians will suffer as their economic situation deterio-rates to catastrophic. They will suffer as efforts at reconstruction grind to a halt. Also, most seriously, they will suffer unspeakably if the Syrian Army, now deprived of funds, is forced to pull back, leaving front-line Christian communities in the north and east vul-nerable to genocide at the hands of Turkish military and Islamic jihadist forces. In its own words, the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act has been enacted 'to halt the wholesale slaughter of the Syrian people, encourage a negotiated political set-tlement, and hold Syrian human rights abusers ac-countable for their crimes'. By targeting the Syrian government alone, the Act perpetuates the false narra-tive that the Syrian conflict was a war between the evil President Assad and 'the [victimised] Syrian people'. On the contrary, the truth is that under the cover of 'Arab Spring' protests (which were led in Syria by the banned MB), neo-Ottoman, pro-MB, NATO-member Turkey, pro-MB Qatar and Wahhabist, US-allied Saudi Arabia moved to effect regime change in Damascus in pursuit of their dream to run oil and gas pipelines from Qatar to Turkey via Syria. A YouGov poll commissioned by Qatar in December 2011 showed that, while a ma-jority of regional Arabs (Saudi, Qatari, Yemeni, Jorda-nian, Palestinian etc) supported regime-change in Damascus, 55% of Syrians did not! Furthermore, through 2012, as multitudes of well-armed foreign ji-hadists flooded into Syria across Turkish, Iraqi and Jor-danian borders, Syrian support for the Syrian government grew exponentially. (Continued on Page 7)

NEW LIFE – 1 July 2020 – Page SixNEW LIFE – 1 July 2020 – Page Six

MATTERS FOR PRAYER MATTERS FOR PRAYER withwith Elizabeth KendalElizabeth Kendal

SYRIA: Damascus Under Siege – Christian Crisis Looms

Elizabeth Kendal is the author of Turn Back The Battle: Isaiah Speaks To Christians Today (Deror Books, Melbourne, Australia, Dec 2012) which offers a Biblical response to persecution and existential threat; and After Saturday Comes Sunday: Understanding The Christian Crisis In The Middle East (Wipf and Stock, Eugene, OR, USA, June 2016). See www.ElizabethKendal.com

Please Pray That Almighty God Will: • not allow Syria to collapse into chaos; may war-weary Syrians not be forced into further suffering and deeper poverty; may religious freedom be protected and may any scheme that would im-peril Syria's Church be re-thought; • provide Syria's suffering Church with her every need; may Jehovah Jireh (God our provider) sup-ply the Syrian Church with all the food, water and medicines she requires, not only for herself but also for her numerous compassionate and out-reach ministries; • help Christians seeking to rebuild their homes, districts, villages, churches, seminaries, schools and health clinics; • most critically, may Yahweh Sabaoth (the Lord of hosts; the commander of Heaven's angelic forces) protect Syrian Christians from the genoci-dal plots of Turkey and its jihadist proxies, as well as from a resurgent Islamic State.

(Continued from Page 6) From the outset, Syrian Christians had pleaded with the West not to support the up-ending of the secular order (as happened in Iraq) and not to arm Muslim 'rebels'. Alas, their cries and warnings were rejected. Had Russia not intervened in September 2015, al-Qaeda (based in Idlib) would have seized Latakia (the Alawite heartland in the north) and Islamic State (ad-vancing from the Syrian desert) would have seized Damascus (the Syrian capital), at which point Syria would have descended into genocidal hell. The West-ern narrative is a false narrative. [See After Saturday Comes Sunday: Understanding The Christian Crisis In The Middle East, Elizabeth Kendal, (Wipf and Stock, Eugene, OR, USA, June 2016)].

The Caesar Act is supposedly motivated by a desire to see an end to impunity for human rights abusers. Yet the region's most repressive, vile and anti-Christian human rights abusers – NATO-member Turkey and US-allied Saudi Arabia – are not under scrutiny. Turkey, which stands accused of ethnic cleansing in northern Syria, is not even mentioned in the Act. Es-sentially, what Damascus' enemies (Turkey-Qatar-Saudi Arabia) have failed to achieve militarily (regime-change in Damascus), the US hopes to achieve by economic means, although Washington is doubtless motivated more by a desire to humiliate Russia (which backed Assad) and obstruct China (which sees Syria as an important node in its Belt and Road Initiative) than by any human rights issues it has with Assad.

MATTERS FOR PRAYER MATTERS FOR PRAYER

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TURN BACK THE BATTLE: TURN BACK THE BATTLE: Isaiah Speaks To Christians Today.Isaiah Speaks To Christians Today.

With persecution escalating globally, Elizabeth Kendal calls us to revisit the prophecy of Isaiah, maintaining that Isaiah 1-39 provides an unambiguous treatise on how God's people are to respond to persecution, suffering and existential threat.

For purchasing options, visit: www.ElizabethKendal.com

A draft of a controversial new national security law for Hong Kong, as proposed by China, has caused con-cerns that the semi-autonomous city’s vocal clergy who have supported the democracy movement could be extradited to and tried in mainland China. The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s rubber-stamp legislature, may for-mally approve the law, which broadens Beijing’s direct control over Hong Kong and erodes the city’s human rights and freedoms, at a 28-30 June meeting. The draft covers four categories of crimes: succession, sub-version of state power, local terrorist activities and collaborating with foreign forces to endanger national security, according to Christian persecution watchdog International Christian Concern. ‘Under such laws, Hong Kong clergy who have been supportive of Hong Kong’s democracy movement, such as Cardinal Zen and Auxiliary Bishop Ha Chi-shing, could be extradited to mainland China to be tried,’ said ICC. ‘Hundreds of Protestant leaders or Christian organizations who have actively spoken out against the Hong Kong government might face the same fate. Beijing considers the mass protests that began last June as terrorist acts and any calls for Hong Kong’s independence from China as acts of sedition.’ In 1997, China had agreed to a ‘one country, two sys-tems’ arrangement to allow freedoms for Hong Kong when it received the city back from British control. The security law undercuts the promised autonomy.

‘This law compromises one‐country, two‐systems, and the handover agreement, and puts human rights in jeopardy,’ the Hong Kong Watch wrote. The Euro-pean Parliament has voted to take China to the Inter-national Court of Justice if the law is imposed. The United States has threatened to revoke Hong Kong’s special trading relationship with it and impose sanc-tions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials. China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency revealed an explanatory note summarizing the draft, which says Beijing will set up a central government office in Hong Kong to man-age national security. The office will have the author-ity to assess Hong Kong’s security, gather and analyze intelligence, advise and supervise local authorities on national security matters. The office would also oversee education about na-tional security in Hong Kong schools. In case of any discrepancies between the new law and Hong Kong’s Basic Law, the former would apply. ‘Hong Kong will not be a bridgehead for exterior forces that jeopardize China’s national security,’ Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of Hong Kong, wrote on Facebook. ICC warned that ‘China’s legal system and its lack of transparency can criminalize anybody and place them in jail. Many Chi-nese Christians are now imprisoned for trumped-up charges, such as “subversion of state power”, “illegal border crossing”, and “illegal business operation”.’

– Christian Post via Australian Prayer Network

HONG KONG: Clergy Face Arrest And Extradition To China Under New Laws

Australian Christian media ministry, Olive Tree Media, has just started production on a new sea-son of Jesus The Game Changer. This new series will be released in October by Trinity Broadcast Network in the US and available in Australia, NZ and the UK for churches soon after. CEO Karl Faase said that the Olive Tree Media team are ex-cited by the prospect of releasing a new season of 13 episodes. This will be the third season of Jesus The Game Changer. The first season was focused on how the life and teaching of Jesus changed the world and why it matters. Many people have described this first series as cultural apologetics. The second season is subtitled To The Ends Of The Earth and was released globally late in 2019. The second season of Jesus The Game Changer focused on the movement of Christian faith from the backwater of the Roman Empire to become a truly global faith. With global travel being suspended and most media production seriously curtailed in 2020 due to COVID-19, the team at Olive Tree Media began discussions with TBN regarding a possible new season. The challenge all broadcasters face is what will new programming look like in 2020-21,

given the global travel and social distancing re-strictions? After completing filming and editing of two seasons of Jesus The Game Changer, Olive Tree Media knew they had some inspiring and beauti-ful stories to tell that didn’t ‘make the cut’ and will now create Season Three from this never-be-fore-seen-footage! This third series will focus on the personal lives and faith stories of many of the guests you met in Season One and Two such as Dr Billy Kim, Craig and Medine Keener and Robert Woodberry. The stories will be from all over the world – USA, UK, Africa, South Korea and Australia. Karl Faase says, ‘In filming the past two seasons we have 85 interviews filmed in 11 different countries with guests sharing inspirational sto-ries of challenge, belief, faith and ministry.’ Karl describes the new series as ‘a combination of beautiful cinematography, high production values and inspirational stories.’ Jesus The Game Changer – One Life will be re-leased late in 2020. For further details contact karl@olivetreemedia.com.au Phone: 0411 883 611

– Karl Faase, Olive Tree Media

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‘USEFUL UNTO YOU’ ‘USEFUL UNTO YOU’

New Series Of Jesus The Game Changer Out This Year

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Karl interviews Craig and Medine Keener

Karl interviews Billy Kim

WHO CAN WHO CAN YOU YOU INVITEINVITE TO SIGN UP FOR A FREE SUBSCRIPTIONTO SIGN UP FOR A FREE SUBSCRIPTION

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FAITH NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD ... FAITH NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD ... With STAN HUNT With STAN HUNT

‘God Has A Plan’: Converted Muslim Woman No one would have thought a Muslim woman in Iran would one day lead two churches in Sweden, but after fleeing to Sweden, Annahita Parsan en-tered the ministry and now leads two churches. She has won more than 1,000 Muslims in Sweden for Christ. She also trains other churches how to reach out to and disciple Muslim background be-lievers. As a young woman Ms Parsan saw no plan and no purpose in her abusive marriage, only ran-dom violence. ‘But God had a plan’, she says. For-mer Muslims, hungry for ‘the God who loves them’ now belong to her church. – CBN News Tune‐In Or Drive‐In During Virus Crisis? While churches are still prevented from holding physical gatherings and many Christian congrega-tions are going on-line, one congregation has found a novel way of meeting. They've binned their laptops and taken to the car, swapping on-line services for drive-in church. The idea came from Pastor Matt Timms who found that his con-gregation was struggling in lockdown, really miss-ing the worship experience. So, together with a couple of other churches, his church decided to take the meetings to the car park. The local UK council had reservations over health and safety

issues, and questioned whether this was essen-tial. But after gaining some help from the Chris-tian Legal Centre, the drive-in church was given the go-ahead. Pastor Timms beleives the people are safe in their cars. ‘We preach the Gospel and we worship Jesus’, he says. Drive-in church has been so successful that the church is now consid-ering using this as an ongoing outreach in the warmer months. – Premier News Truck Driver Finds Faith In West Africa Truck drivers are transporting the Gospel into West Africa. Truck driving in the region is a dan-gerous and stressful job. Drivers face job insecu-rity, the threat of being robbed, extortion from corrupt police, and cultural and linguistic barriers as they cross borders. So when Christians offered to pray for Ahmed (not his real name for secu-rity), he didn't mind, even though he was Muslim. Christian volunteers share with the drivers as they wait to be seen at a free medical clinics con-ducted by missionaries. As the months passed, Ahmed understood his need for a Saviour, and he put his faith in Christ. Ahmed is just one of many truck drivers who have heard and believed the Gospel, and are now carrying the message to this part of the world. – Baptist Press

IRAN: Church Pressing On In The Face Of Danger Christians in Iran are risking their lives to help fellow citizens with food and hygiene parcels during the coronavirus outbreak. Known internationally for its radical Islamic terrorism, Iran is the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Middle East. The Open Doors religious freedom group reports that in the face of this crisis, Iranian Christians have decided they ‘cannot stand by while people are suffering’. The Iranian church operates through hidden networks, having been driven underground by the country’s Islamic extremist regime. Open Doors CEO David Curry told Fox News the remarkable thing about the Iranian church is their ability to mobilize online networks into offline outreach in this risk-laden environment. He says that as the suffering of Iranian citizens deepens, the underground church is effectively coming above ground in response. To date, Iran has suffered more than 9,000 coronavirus deaths and over 200,000 cases in a population of 81.8 million. – Fox News

Showing Our Faith By Our Works An initiative has been launched to encourage Christians to embrace a spirit of giving. The Generosity Project is a six-part course to help UK congregations grow in their understanding and practise of gen-erosity through their finances, time and energy. The course explores what the Bible says about giving and helps church members discuss and embrace the topic of generosity in a small group setting. Christians around the world are suffering, so the Church wants to help brothers and sisters around the world. John Stevens, Director for the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches, says the issue of generosity has becoming particularly relevant during the current crisis. He says that the church needs to be supporting of both the church itself and wider society. ‘A Christian's giving reflects their understanding of the Gospel and can serve as a powerful witness to those who don't know Jesus,’ he says. – Premier News

CHINA: Christians Attacked, Hospitalised, As Church Demolished Members of a church in China have been hospi-talised as officials destroyed their church. Chi-naAid, a non-profit Christian organization for the human rights of Chinese citizens, reports that 200 communist officials stormed into Sunzhuang Church in Henan province. One woman was hos-pitalized after being knocked unconscious by offi-cials who pushed her to the ground. Another woman was also taken to the hospital after offi-cials beat her. Regional manager for International Christian Concern In Southeast Asia, Gina Goh, says it is deplorable that the local authorities de-ployed excessive use of force against church members. The church had been a part of China’s branch of government-run churches since the early 1990s. They were permitted by the commu-nist government to construct a new church build-

ing in 2013. The Religious Affairs Bureau, despite not showing legal documents, used cranes and heavy-duty machinery to complete demolition of the church building. – ChinaAid ISRAEL: Christian Broadcasting Hit A broadcasting licence issued to a Hebrew-lan-guage Christian TV channel has been revoked. The channel was accused of illegally seeking to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Israel. The God TV-owned Shemanu TV had been warned by Israel's Minister for Communications last month after it openly declared its mission ‘to take the Gospel to the Jewish people’. They had been is-sued a licence by the Council for Cable and Satel-lite Broadcasting but last week the Council informed Shemanu TV that the licence had been revoked. The network has been given seven days to stop broadcasts, though it is entitled to appeal the decision. – Premier News

PERSECUTION WATCH PERSECUTION WATCH

NEW LIFE – 1 July 2020 – Page TenNEW LIFE – 1 July 2020 – Page Ten

YEMEN: Country On The Brink Of CollapseConflict, famine and the worst humanitarian crisis in the world have led the United Nations to call for a global response as Yemen nears collapse. ‘Four people out of every five, 24 million people in all, need lifesaving aid in what remains the world’s largest humanitarian crisis,’ reported UN Secretary-General António Guterres. ‘Two million Yemeni children are suffering from acute malnu-trition, which could stunt their growth and affect them throughout their lives.’ Aside from the humanitarian crisis, Yemen is currently facing the largest outbreak of cholera in the world and one of the most substantial mortal-ity rates of COVID-19. Many Christians are being denied lifesaving resources as emergency relief is often distributed through Islamic organisations and local mosques. But as the Word reassures, ‘I will do whatever you ask in My Name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in My Name, and I will do it’, John 14.13,14. In this time of desperate need, please

pray for Yemen and Yemeni believers facing in-credible hardships. Pray For Yemen: • Pray God will bring physical and spiritual heal-ing to Yemen. • Pray essential resources and aid will fall into the hands of those who need it. • With most Yemeni children remembering noth-ing but war, pray they will seek and find the King of Peace. – Operation Mobilisation

Raising The Alarm Of Possible Genocide Of Nigerian Christians A new report is sounding the alarm about the potential genocide of Christians in Nigeria. A coalition of UK parliamentarians has launched an extensive study into violence there. They say ISIS has com-mitted genocide against Christians in Syria and Iraq and now it looks like a similar situation is occur-ring in Nigeria. Petr Jasek who served in Nigeria for the Voice Of The Martyrs says several groups are attacking Christians throughout Nigeria. The attacks are led by Boko Haram, a branch of ISIS, and the Islamist Fulani herdsman. He says many Christians are being killed in very brutal ways. Mr Jasek told CBN News that the large number of killings is approaching what could be classified as genocide. The secular media views these killings as a tribal conflict. – CBN Christian World News

NEW LIFE – 1 July 2020 – Page ElevenNEW LIFE – 1 July 2020 – Page Eleven

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These last verses are all about our unity. First, our unity with the Apostles (vv. 20,21). We stand in unity with the Apostles when we believe their words, God’s message. Secondly, we have a living unity with God the Father through faith in the work of God the Son (v.22). Jesus will be in us, ‘I in them and you in Me’ (v.23); ‘I Myself may be in them’ (v.26). There-fore, if there is no apostolic message, there is no Jesus, and if there is no Jesus, there is no union with God. Thirdly, we share a family union with one an-other, ‘that they may be one as We are one’ (v.22).

Jesus has revealed the glorious char-acter of God to us today through the Apostles’ message, and our common faith in Christ, as found in the mes-sage, gives us unity together. This means that wherever we go in the world, we have family. Jesus’ prayer reminds us

that we are to take our unity seriously. We cannot manufac-ture this unity ourselves, but Paul reminds us that we are to work hard at maintaining it (Ephesians 4.1–6). Humility, gentleness, pa‐tience, and forbearance are conducive to keeping ‘unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace’ (Ephesians 4.3). The world will be impressed when it sees our deep unity in the midst of our vast diversity (vv.21,23). We live in a divided world; society, families, and relationships are destroyed by such division. The church of Jesus Christ is the place of substantial reconciliation. We are different in every way imaginable, but we are one in the Apostolic Gospel, one in Christ our Lord (Gala-tians 3.26–29). It’s been said that ‘the workers united will never be defeated.’ How much more will the God-achieved, blood-bought unity we have in Christ strengthen us as we live for Him before the world? The prayer of Jesus, the righteous media-tor, continues to sound in the hearing of God.

NEW LIFE – 1 July 2020 – Page TwelveNEW LIFE – 1 July 2020 – Page Twelve

JOURNEY THROUGH JOHN JOURNEY THROUGH JOHN withwith David CookDavid Cook

Keeping The Unity The Spirit Gives Read John 17:20-26

To Think Through: How important is Chris-tian unity to you? How do you contribute to your local fellowship of believers, and how do they nourish you?

Reprinted from Our Daily Bread Journey Through Series® – Journey Through John by David Cook (Copyright © 2017) published by Discovery House. Used with permission of Discovery House.

All rights reserved. For further enquiries please visit: journeythrough.org or email: australia@odb.org

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MAURICE STANLEY BETTERIDGE (1927-2020) was the seventh Principal of Ridley College, following the tenure of Leon Morris. He brought to the position broad experience of the worldwide church, keen academic interest in church history (especially the Reformation), a heart for evangelis-tic preaching, and experience of leadership in ministry con-texts. But perhaps he is remembered best of all for his gentle wit and kind pastoral ways. He and his wife Jacque-line, who predeceased him, invited many students into their home and made the Ridley community a more collab-orative environment for study and work. His death will be grieved by many Christian leaders in different parts of the globe. Maurice was a New Zealander, whose links with the College were built early. Long before arriving to work in Melbourne, he had stayed at Ridley when invited to be the speaker at a mission held by the Melbourne University Evangelical Union in the early 1960s. He had studied at the General Theological Seminary in New York City, served as Chaplain to the University of New England, and based in Sydney was General Secretary of the Church Missionary Society from 1973-1978. In these diverse locations, Maurice developed insights into the complexities of evangelical ministry, but always affirmed his confidence in the Gospel of the Kingdom. He was not afraid to highlight the weaknesses of Christians past: once when I gave a lecture on Nicholas Ridley to mark the 450th an-niversary of his martyrdom in 2005, Maurice pointed out to me that I had failed to note Ridley’s can-tankerous character! As Principal of Ridley (1979‐1992), which at that stage incorporated both a theological college and a residential college of the University of Melbourne, Maurice brought energy and resolve. Finally a fit-to-purpose library was completed in 1984, with new lecture rooms beneath, a bookshop was opened, a new degree in theology was launched, certificate level courses were offered in suburban locations, and the faculty tripled in size. Maurice saw himself as first among equals and cultivated an esprit de corps which suited the mood of the times. The 1980s were days when the entrepreneurial spirit cap-tured the international moment, so Ridley began several new programs to win new enrolments. Inten-tional youth ministry training was initiated, and study tours to the Middle East were introduced. Different overseas speakers were invited to lecture at the College, for example Dick Lucas from St Helen’s Bishopsgate and Alister McGrath from Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. Maurice supported women called to the ordained ministry of the church, first to the diaconate in 1986 and to the priesthood in 1992. Many still speak fondly of Maurice’s lectures in Reformation history, and especially remember him using an overhead projector to illustrate a theological point by means of woodcuts. His hobby was to bind books, many of which will make their way to the Gravitas Room for display in Ridley’s refur-bished library. He grew tired towards the end of his time as Principal, but still managed for some years after re-tirement to serve at St James’ Ivanhoe and to lecture in Reformation History at the Presbyterian Theo-logical College in Melbourne. His last visit to Ridley was a happy time of sharing stories over lunch with former students. When brought into the Dining Room to be introduced to a new generation of students, he received a warm ovation. His portrait, the first to be composed from a live sitting, has above his right ear a rectangular up-right. Long have students wondered whether this represents an open window onto the world outside, or the foot of the cross. Either works. Maurice was keenly aware of the responsibility of Christians to their community, and of our obedience motivated by Christ’s atoning death. The Ridley College com-munity is thankful for a life well lived and a servant now being welcomed Home.

– The Rev’d Canon Dr Rhys Bezant, Senior Lecturer, Ridley College,

in The Melbourne Anglican

‘WITH CHRIST ... BETTER BY FAR’ ‘WITH CHRIST ... BETTER BY FAR’

NEW LIFE – 1 July 2020 – Page ThirteenNEW LIFE – 1 July 2020 – Page Thirteen

Maurice Betteridge with Ridley staff mem‐bers. – Courtesy The Melbourne Anglican.

NEW LIFE – 1 July 2020 – Page FourteenNEW LIFE – 1 July 2020 – Page Fourteen

‘WITH CHRIST ... BETTER BY FAR’ ‘WITH CHRIST ... BETTER BY FAR’

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STANLEY GORDON KEITH WERRY went to be with Christ on Wednesday 24 June 2020, aged 94. Stan enlisted in the RAAF in World War 2, but the war ended soon after his enlistment. Stan then worked in Real Estate and Accounting all his life and in 1961 formed Christian Enterprises. Since then, CE has provided financial support to evangelical ministries primarily in Australia but throughout the world. Name a Gospel ministry you know of and it has probably benefitted from CE’s generosity. Stan was a man who loved the Lord Jesus and never hesitated to testify to His saving goodness. He loved to hear the Gospel and the clearer the preaching the better as far as he was concerned. He had a particular concern for childrens’ and teenage evangelism. Ambassadors for Christ and Open Air Cam-paigners were special to him. I will not forget the day he shared with me his concern for the training of the next generation of Gospel workers through the ministry of SMBC, and over the years that College has benefitted im-mensely from the generosity of CE. Today the work of CE continues and Stan’s legacy will be carried on by a Board of Directors who share his desire to see the lost found and the unsaved rescued through the work of the Lord Jesus. If you attend or are blessed by the ministry of an interdenominational evangelical convention or organi-sation, you can be sure that the fruit of Stan Werry’s life has blessed that work. You may never have heard of him, but you probably have been blessed by his business acumen and generous heart. God used this humble and dependent man who shunned the limelight in remarkable ways; all glory to Him! We thank God for Stan. He leaves his wife of 27 years, May, and children, grand and great grandchil-dren, and we rejoice in his eternal security and that he is now face to face with Christ, his Saviour, and better by far! – David Cook.

SHIRLEY KOSCHADE (LONG) 1928-2020 Shirley has left this life to be with her Saviour. Her surviving five children and their families give thanks for her life and inspiration. Shirley and husband Walter (dec.), lived out their lives sup-porting many Christian organisations, and by serving in medical work in Victoria and New Guinea. A funeral service was held at St Thomas' Church, Bunyip, on 11 June, 2020. She was faithful to the end. (1 Cor. 15:51-58).