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Australia's First Parliamentary Motion Against 'Safe Schools'On October 27, in the Victorian Legislative Council, Dr Rachel Carling-Jenkins MP introduced a mo‐tion calling on the Government to immediately withdraw the Safe Schools program from all schools. Ad‐ditionally, Dr Carling‐Jenkins called for a review of the program, to take into account the views of parentsinto the incidence and prevention of bullying in schools.She noted that the program has been found to be an ideologically-driven indoctrination program,and that Victorian parents had been left out of the picture as it continues to be rolled out statewide.Australian Christian Lobby Victorian Director Dan Flynn said this motion comes amid concerns aboutthe age‐appropriateness of the content (it has been introduced in primary schools), and that the programdoes not take into account the needs ofchildren with disabilities.‘Government schools should continueto be free of radical indoctrination, andthis is an encouraging step towards ensur‐ing that the Safe Schools program does notcontinue in its current form,’ Mr Flynnsaid.

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‘Suspend Aid To Pakistan While Christians LikeAsia Bibi Are On Death Row’ – ACLThe Australian Christian Lobby’s Managing Director Lyle Shelton has writ‐ten to the Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, urging her to exert diplomatic pressureon Pakistan to free Christian mother Asia Bibi, who has been on death row since2010. ACL has suggested Australia’s $47 million in overseas aid to Pakistanshould be suspended until Pakistan’s Blasphemy Law, under which Bibi was con‐demned, is repealed or amended.Asia Bibi was condemned to death after being convicted of insulting the Muslim prophet Muham-mad because she drank from a water well that was reserved for Muslims only. She was brutally rapedand beaten for her ‘crime’ and her alleged perpetrators were never prosecuted.‘Australia has a moral obligation to explore what further efforts and representations might be madeto secure Asia Bibi’s release. Suspending the $47 million aid budget to Pakistan until the Blasphemy Lawis repealed or amended is one avenue that should be considered,’ Mr Shelton said. ‘Religious freedom isa fundamental human right and our Government must do everything it can to pressure the Pakistanigovernment to meet its international human rights obligations. ‘As a signatory to the InternationalCovenant on Civil and Political Rights, Pakistan has an obligation to provide religious freedom to its cit‐izens. While Australians are familiar with Islamist terrorists killing people for allegedly blasphemingMohammad, most would be surprised to know the Pakistani Government has laws which condemn peo‐ple to death for the same thing.‘We thank the Members of Parliament, including Senator Eric Abetz, Andrew Hastie and MichaelSukkar for raising in Parliament the plight of Asia Bibi and other Christians like her. We support callsmade by the British Pakistani Christian Association chair, Wilson Chowdhry, for the Federal Governmentto include 100 places for persecuted Pakistani Christians in Australia’s annual humanitarian intake.’

ABC URGED TO RETAINRELIGIOUS PROGRAMMING.Peter Bentley, President of the Australasian Religious Press Association,has written to the Chair of the ABC following news of downgrading ofreligious programming, arguing that cutting the present level of religiousprogramming would be a retrograde move compounding a developingignorance about the important, substantial and complex role of religionin society.

NEW LIFE – 1 November 2016 – Page TwoNEW LIFE – 1 November 2016 – Page Two

The miracle of Jesus’ Feeding the Multitude is special – it is found in allfour Gospels – and it is yet another illustration of our Lord's almighty power.But it has been trivialised by liberal scholars who try to explain it away. Theysay such things as 'when the crowd, which had been hiding food each one hadbrought along, saw the generosity of the little boy they were shamed intobringing out their own food and suddenly there was enough to go around.’But note that just before this event, Jesus had been performing miraclesof healing (v.11d). How do they 'explain' that? Was there some trace elementin His spittle? Was the hem of His garment impregnated with some kind ofbalm? Of course these 'explanations' are my own inventions and are just toosilly for words, but no sillier than the attempts to 'explain' this adjacent miracleto which they are a prelude – as if the supernatural can be explained away bythe natural!No! The only way to explain this event is to proclaim its miraculous na-ture, demonstrating our Lord's divine power and showing that the handswhich made the world are the hands which have power over it, the handswhich were nailed to Calvary's cross, the hands which are outstretched to apoor, lost and perishing world today with the gracious invitation: 'Come untoMe ... and I will give you rest.'So what do we learn about our Lord Jesus Christ from this demonstrationof His almighty power?1. He is the WELCOMING Saviour (v.11b, 'He welcomed them') Isaiah 45.22extends that gracious invitation ‘Look unto Me, all the ends of the Earth andbe saved’, or as Charles Wesley so beautifully put it: 'The arms of love surround‐ing me would all the world embrace, would all the world embrace.'2. He is the PURPOSEFUL Saviour (v.11c). His two‐fold ministry of preachingand mercy went hand in hand wherever He went inaugurating His Kingdom.3. He is the SYMPATHETIC Saviour (v.11d). 'Jesus knows all about our sor‐rows, He will stay till the day is done. There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus,no, not one, no, not one ...'4. He is the CHALLENGING Saviour (v.13). Jesus doesn’t need our hands todo His work today, but He graciously chooses to take and use them, and Hechallenges us today as He challenged the first disciples to get on and be aboutHis Father’s business.5. He is the ALL-SUFFICIENT Saviour (v.16). Well may we say with thePsalmist ‘Whom have I in Heaven but You? And there is none upon Earth thatI desire beside You? (Psalm 73.25); and sing with the Wesleys: 'Thou, O Christ,art all I need, more than all in Thee I find ...'6. He is the SATISFYING Saviour (v.17a). Eating of His miraculous bread sat‐isfied their hunger; hungering and thirsting after righteousness they wouldfind in Him ‘the living bread’ who would satisfy their deepest longings.7. He is the SUPERABUNDANT Saviour (v.17b). Just as He produced morethan enough bread to satisfy their bodily hunger, so 'where sin abounds, (His)grace abounds all the more'.In Conclusion: Under Holy Spirit inspiration, Paul could truly say Jesus Christ‘is God over all, forever blessed’ (Romans 9.5). Surely we should ‘taste and seethat the Lord is good’ and find that ‘blessed is the man who trusts in Him.’(Psalm 34.8) – Bob Thomas

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Jesus, Our All-Sufficient Saviour (Luke 9.10-17)

On 31 October 1517 German theologian Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses – Disputation On The Power AndEfficacy Of Indulgences – to the door of Wittenberg Castle Church, triggering the Protestant Reformation. Theywere dark days: the Church was corrupt, Germany was weak, and the armies of Islam had conquered three‐quar‐ters of the old Christian world. After capturing Constantinople (the seat of the eastern, Byzantine/Greek Church)in 1453, Sultan Mehmed set his sights on Rome (the seat of the western, Roman/Latin Church).In 1480 he captured Otranto (in south-east Italy) and Rome was evacuated. Then the Sultan died and hisplans died with him. In 1529 Suleiman the Magnificent laid siege to Vienna. Were it not that freakish weather hadforced the Turks to abandon most of their artillery, they would certainly have captured the city. Germany, then,would have been at their mercy. Thankfully, God frustrated the Islamic advance while mercifully infusing life intoGermany. The Reformation awakened Germans to divine grace, the priesthood of believers and a Biblical workethic. The result: the phenomenal revival and technological rise of Christian Europe, before which Islam simplycould not stand.But just as Germany had been at the centre of the rise of modern Europe and Western civilisation, so toohas Germany been at the centre of its decline. In the latter part of the 19th Century, Germany's imperialist Islam‐ophile leadership of Kaiser Wilhelm II and Max von Oppenheim proposed a strategic alliance with global Islam. Itwas agreed that, in the event of war, the Ottoman Caliph would declare a jihad wherein Muslims would driveFrance out of Africa, Britain out of India, and Russia out of the Caucuses, paving the way for Germany and Islamto dominate the world. Strong German‐Turkish ties were forged but ultimately the plot failed. Germany remainedaligned with Islam through WW2, through a Nazi‐Arab alliance committed to fighting colonial powers Britain andFrance and ridding the world of 'lesser peoples' like Jews, Roma and Slavs.After WW2, Europe moved to counter American dominance by creating a Euro‐Arab Axis (Eurabia) whichsaw Europe's connections and exchanges with the Arab world multiply. All the while, German Communists wereactively subverting the West by means of a (Mao‐inspired) Long March through the institutions. Their aim: CulturalRevolution to replace Judeo‐Christian values with the moral and cultural relativism of atheistic cultural Marxism.They have been phenomenally successful.The result is that Christianity is in crisis in Germany today. Giulio Meotti reports (Gatestone Institute, 12 Oct2016) that in the past decade, Catholics in Germany have closed 515 churches while Protestants have closed 340.The numbers of baptisms and church weddings are in free fall. For‐mal apostasy is soaring while conversions are few. As Giulio attests,'religious decline is usually followed by a demographic one'. Ger‐man fertility has collapsed and is now well below replacement rate.To replace the native population, Germany is taking in mi-grants – Muslim migrants. Germany's Die Welt estimates thatChristians in Germany will be a minority within 20 years. This isdoubtless why UNESCO is running ads on German state‐funded tel‐evision encouraging German women to embrace the hijab.None of this bodes well for religious liberty and Christian se-curity in Germany. For a glimpse of what might lie ahead, oneneed only look into Germany's refugee shelters, where Christianasylum seekers are persecuted with impunity. A report by a groupof German NGOs, led by Open Doors Germany, reveals shocking lev‐els of persecution of Christians, yet acknowledges this is 'only thetip of the iceberg'. Of the 743 Christian refugees who spoke to OD,617 (83%) reported multiple assaults, 314 (42%) death threats,416 (56%) violent assaults and 44 (6%) sexual assaults. Whilst674 (91%) said the assaults were committed by Muslim fellowrefugees, 205 (28%) accused Muslim guards.While the government is setting up safe shelters for LGBTQI asylum seekers, it continues to resist calls –even from police – to separate migrants according to religion, insisting segregation would go against Germany'smulticultural values. Without reformation, revival and miracle, Germany will be lost.

NEW LIFE – 15 November 2016 – Page ThreeNEW LIFE – 15 November 2016 – Page Three

MATTERS FOR PRAYER:MATTERS FOR PRAYER:

GERMANY: Reformation Or Death

PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL:• intervene in Germany in the interests ofvulnerable Christian asylum seekers; sendHis angels to guard them and may morechurches be willing to provide safe haven. ‘...as you did it to one of the least of these Mybrothers and sisters, you did it to Me' (fromMatthew 25.31‐46 ESV)• raise up inspired, courageous, effectiveChristian leaders in the spirit of MartinLuther, who will step forward to lead theChurch and speak truth to empower.• cause Germans to look forward to the 500thanniversary of the Protestant Reformation in2017, and 'remember the Lord' (Deuteron‐omy 8.11‐20) and glorify Him again and puttheir faith in Him again, so they will receivestrength to 'turn back the battle at the gate'(Isaiah 28.5,6).

– Elizabeth Kendal, 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 ChristianCrisis In The Middle East (Wipf and Stock, Eugene, OR, USA, June 2016). See www.ElizabethKendal.com

‘Saved By The Letter “M”!’Mining magnate Andrew Forrest publicly pledged this yearto give away most of his fortune to charity. The promise bythe devout, church‐going Christian, recently estimated byForbes magazine to be worth $5.7 billion, could make himAustralia’s greatest philanthropist.He revealed that the biggest inspiration for his giving isthe Bible. Mr Forrest’s Christianity is unusual for a promi‐nent Australian entrepreneur, perhaps especially so for one who thrives on risk and adopts a win‐at‐all‐costs approach to business.But none of his friends doubts his piety. They have experienced enough Forrest‐led prayer sessions,or caught him reading his Bible during enough hectic overseas business trips, to understand that beliefin God appears to guide his every waking hour.

– National Association of Christian Leaders via Ramon Williams - A Tribute To Influential Australians(Selina, Countess of Huntingdon, who placed much of her wealth at the disposal of George Whitefield and John Wesley, and is stillremembered today in the small Christian denomination, The Countess of Huntingdon’s Connexion, used to say she was saved bythe letter’M’ – the Bible says ‘not many rich ...’; it does not say ‘not any rich ...’. Apparently our brother stands in that category too.God bless him. – Ed.)

NEW LIFE – 1 November 2016 – Page FourNEW LIFE – 1 November 2016 – Page Four

FAITH NEWS FAITH NEWS ...... With Stan HuntWith Stan Hunt

Many Come To Faith In Christ In ScotlandAlmost 5,000 people attended the North East Scot‐land Celebration of Hope last month with evangelistWill Graham. A media report says Will completedfive consecutive days of preaching the Gospel in Pe‐terhead, Scotland, a small fishing town with a pop‐ulation of just over 18,500. According to the BillyGraham Evangelistic Association more than 240 re‐sponded at the invitation to make a commitment toJesus Christ. The event was also simulcast to LiveLink Locations in nearby towns and three serviceswere live‐streamed around the world via webcast.A total of 5,240 visitors from 77 countries loggedon to view the Celebration, and 152 registeredcommitments to Christ. The North East ScotlandCelebration of Hope was Will Graham’s first timepreaching in Scotland, having visited the countryonce prior, when his father, Franklin Graham, waspreaching there. Will Graham’s grandfather, BillyGraham, held several outreaches in Scotland overthe course of his decades‐long ministry. – ANSCompassion’s Work Devastated In HaitiThe devastating impact of Hurricane Matthew con‐tinues to take its toll on the people of Haiti. To date,

81 Compassion International church partners andchild development centres are temporarily closeddue to damage, and more than 5,500 Compassion‐assisted children have been displaced. Three chil‐dren, 13 caregivers, and five siblings have died as aresult of Hurricane Matthew, and more than 1,000families have been relocated due to damage to ordestruction of their homes. Even more Compas‐sion‐assisted children have yet to be located, andassessment continues. Compassion leaders say thetwo immediate priorities are short‐term food secu‐rity for the children and their families, and provid‐ing clean‐up and repairs to local churches sheltersfor families displaced by the storm. – Mission Network News

Deaf Need Sign Language BiblesOf the 400 sign languages in the world for the deaf,none has a complete sign language Bible recorded.In answer to this, one of the bigger goals of the DeafBible Society is to tackle the recording of sign lan‐guage Bibles into every known sign language,working with several ministry partners, includingEvery Tribe, Every Nation Alliance, Wycliffe, TheSeed Company, and The American Bible Society.

‘Could We But Stand Where Moses Stood ...’The site of the supposed death of Moses in the Holy Land has been reopened after being closedfor nearly ten years. According to ChristianToday the site is located on Mount Nebo in Jordan, 32kilometres southwest of Amman. It offers a sprawling view of the West Bank, Jericho, andJerusalem from atop the 1000 metre mountain. Monks took over the ruins left by archaeologistsat the site in the 1930’s, and it has since been a popular pilgrimage site for Jews, Christians, andMuslims. The current restoration began in 2007 after remains of an ancient church basilica werefound, but were deemed unfit to house the Moses memorial. – Christian Headlines

NEW LIFE – 1 November 2016 – Page FiveNEW LIFE – 1 November 2016 – Page Five

GOOD NEWS FROM ABROADGOOD NEWS FROM ABROAD

NORTH KOREA: Faith Shines In The Midst Of SufferingNorth Korea is notorious for its tight-fisted Communist regime and persecution of Christians.However, the Underground Church is strong and has a surprising message for Western Christians, saysEric Foley, head of Voice Of The Martyrs, Korea.Dr Foley says North Korean Christians don’t pray for the freedoms Westerners have, because ‘free‐dom in Christ is something that can't be granted or taken away by a government. They don't pray for aregime change. They pray for more of Christ and to mirror more of Christ in their life.’When Dr Foley tells North Korean Christians that people in the West are praying for them, he saysthey say, ‘We are praying for them. We have neither money nor freedom, but we have Christ and we'vefound He's sufficient.’ – CBN Christian World NewsIRAQ: Hope Rising, Baptists Preparing To HelpThe unfolding crisis in and around Mosul, Iraq, is set to be the largest humanitarian crisis of 2016 asup to one million residents are being forced to flee their homes. Baptist World Aid has been anticipatingthis and has already sent $65,000 to their local partner for relief items.

The unfolding crisis inand around Mosul, Iraq,is set to be the largest hu‐manitarian crisis of 2016as up to one million resi‐dents are being forced toflee their homes.Baptist World Aid hasbeen anticipating thisand has already sent$65,000 to their local part‐ner for relief items.Chaldean Bishop BasharWarda says the hopes ofthousands of displacedChristian families are onthe rise knowing that thereis finally a concentratedground effort to reclaimand liberate their home‐lands from ISIS.

– Christian PostINDIA: Spreading GospelThrough CareBibles For The Worldserves about 10,000 chil‐dren in schools founded bythe ministry in parts ofnortheastern India. Chil‐dren being educated inBibles For The Worldschools are being intro‐duced to God’s Word andlove not only through edu‐cation, but also throughthe physical care of thechildren and their families.

NEW LIFE – 1 November 2016 – Page SixNEW LIFE – 1 November 2016 – Page Six

NO OFFENCE MEANT NO OFFENCE MEANT –– PLENTY TAKENPLENTY TAKEN

The ABC reports that a sign on same-sex marriage outside thePresbyterian Church of Eastern Australia in Taree (NSW) is divid‐ing the regional community of Taree, with some arguing they areoffensive while others welcome them. The controversy comes aspoliticians debate whether to hold a plebiscite on same‐sex mar‐riage or vote on the issue in the federal parliament.Resident Lisa Blogg said the sign, ‘Marriage is one man + onewoman’ outside the Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia inTaree was offensive. ‘My daughter is gay and her response to thesign is, 'This is one of the reasons I want to leave this town, because it is oppressive to be a person in asame‐sex relationship in a town like this”,’ Ms Blogg said. ‘The sign is on the main thoroughfare wherepeople drive past.’Her partner Chris Thiering said other signs outside the church had also raised eyebrows. He cited'Do Not Be Surprised If The World Hates You' as another example of an offensive sign. ‘If I was having abad day and trying to deal with my troubles and I walked around the corner, that would have a very neg‐ative influence on me,’ Mr Thiering said.However the pastor of the church, Rev George Ball, says that the messages on the signs are directquotes from the Bible, although he acknowledged that the signs could be taken out of context. ‘I do takethe point that they are not referenced, but we are limited to what we can fit on the sign,’ he said. Mr Ballsaid that 'Do not be surprised if the world hates you' is a direct quote from the Bible (1 John 3.13), andwas directed at Christians, telling them not to be scared to be hated because of their religious beliefs. Hesaid he welcomed the feedback, but there had been very few complaints to the church, and many ‘state‐ments of appreciation’. – Our Banner, Magazine of The Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia

Easily Offended In Taree

NEW LIFE – 1 November 2016 – Page SevenNEW LIFE – 1 November 2016 – Page Seven

NOAHIC FAITH REWARDEDNOAHIC FAITH REWARDED

Read: Read: The Practicality Of ChristianityThe Practicality Of Christianity

by David Holden, at by David Holden, at www.defenceofthefaith.orgwww.defenceofthefaith.org

Faith Like Noah’s Receives Its RewardKentucky’s $100 million Ark Encounter biblical themepark has drawn more than 400,000 visitors since itopened in July, according to park officials. The flood of vis‐itors from across the United States and other countrieshas also doubled attendance at the group’s 10‐year‐oldAnswers In Genesis Creation Museum, located 70 km away.Inside the 155-metre-long Noah’s Ark replica, visitors can see 132 exhibit bays and displays thatinclude dozens of pairs of sculpted animals in wooden cages, including dinosaurs, along with blacksmithand carpentry shops and living quarters for Noah and his family. Visitors also see displays showing thebiblical story of how original sin led to polygamy, violence, the presence of giants in the world — andeventually led God to wipe out civilization.Other exhibits argue that Ice Age or formations such as the Grand Canyon help prove the Bible'screation account and that geologic features were made in Noah's flood. They say the Earth is only 6,000years old. – Worthy NewsAnswers In Genesis Director Ken Ham comments: ‘Before the Ark Encounter opened, many articlesby the secular media mocked the project. Reporters and bloggers declared that we would not get thenumber of visitors we estimated. In addition, a report commissioned by the state of Kentucky as a partof our application for the tourism tax incentive claimed attendance would probably be as low as 325,000visitors a year.’ This figure has been eclipsed in less than four months.

NEW LIFE – 1 November 2016 – Page EightNEW LIFE – 1 November 2016 – Page Eight

NEW LIFE ADVERTISINGNEW LIFE ADVERTISING

WESTERN AUSTRALIAN CHURCH PLANTExpressions of Interest

We are an independent non-denominational church-planting team with a vision to launch a congregationwithin the Perth metropolitan area, in the region between South Perth, Victoria Park and Salter Point early in 2017.

It is our sanctified heart’s desire to preach Christ-crucified and to devote ourselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship,to the breaking of bread and to prayer (Acts 2.42).

Our mission is to be Christ-Centred, Christ-Commanded and Christ-Commissioned.We are prayerfully seeking brothers and sisters in Christ who have a love of God, all the Scriptures,

and for fellow believers, and desire to be a part of a congregation that balances biblical doctrines and teachingwith biblical fellowship and practice.

This call is for members as well as potential male elders and deacons.If you believe you or your family and friends are being drawn by God to be involved in a church plant,

please visit <https://westernaustraliachurchplant.wordpress.com/>,read the statement of faith and vision for the congregation, and send us an e-mail there to express interest or ask any questions.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren.

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NEW LIFE – 1 November 2016 – Page NineNEW LIFE – 1 November 2016 – Page Nine

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

ST KILDA: Cnr Alma Rd/Barkly St. Every Sunday 11am;Living Stones Korean Presbyterian Church. Every Sunday 12.30pm;BALACLAVA: Cnr Hotham St/Denman Rd. Every Sunday 9.30am.

MINISTER: Rev Bob Thomas 0417 592 646You’re Welcome At The Faith Factory

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Celebrating The ReformationSydney’s Moore College has announced an extensive programof celebrations for the 500th anniversary of the beginning of theProtestant Reformation. Next year will mark 500 years since MartinLuther set the Reformation in motion by nailing his 95 Theses to thedoor of the Wittenberg Church in Germany on 31 October 1517.The celebrations will include two major rallies and a summit onjustification by faith. Rev Dr Ed Loane, who lectures in doctrine andchurch history at Moore College, says the Reformation of the 16thCentury was a hugely significant turning point in the history of the church. He says it continues to be significantbecause the issues and theology that were rediscovered and cherished by the Reformers remain foundationalfor Christianity.The Lutheran Church plans to mark the anniversary with a year of celebrations including an official cere‐mony on 31 October 2017, in Wittenberg. – Sydney Anglicans

CHINA: A Pastor’s TestimonyA Chinese pastor who has suffered perse‐cution for spreading Christianity in the offi‐cially atheist country has testified how hisentire atheist family turned to God after hewas healed of an illness that had left himcrippled in his youthZeng Heng, associate director of ChinaGospel Mission and senior pastor at ZaidaoChurch in Beijing, told several hundred peo‐ple at a recent conference in the US that hishealing through prayer to Jesus triggeredhis journey into Christianity and also led tothe creation of many churches in China.

Pastor Heng’s whole family saw this mir‐acle and knelt down to pray to receive theLord as their personal Saviour.A month later the Hengfamily had a thanksgivingparty where more than 50people came to faith inChrist, and they started achurch that night. Over thenext eight years, that groupgrew into a movement thatcreated 200 churches whichattracted more than 20,000converts. – Christian Post

Ramon A Wi l l iamsRamon A Wi l l iams

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Australian church leaders have written to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull lamenting the slowprogress in resettling refugees from the Middle East and expressing particular concern for the persecutedChristian minorities. ‘While the suffering of all people greatly disturbs us, we express particular concernfor the Christian minorities of the Middle East,’ says the letter signed by the Anglican Primate of Australia,Melbourne Archbishop Philip Freier. ‘Through ministering to our own congregational members, manyof us have personal knowledge of the horrors of the genocidal war and violence that are shattering manyhistoric Christian communities in Iraq, Egypt and Syria,’ says the letter.Sent to the Prime Minister on 28 October after a meeting in Sydney of the National Council ofChurches in Australia, it is also signed by leaders of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Coptic Bishopsof Melbourne and Sydney, the Baptist Church, Lutheran Church, Churches of Christ, Uniting Church, Con‐gregational Federation, Salvation Army, Society of Friends and the NCCA.The church leaders say they rejoiced when the Government committed last year to bringing an ini‐tial intake of 12,000 refugees from the Middle East, but ‘we are frustrated by the slow implementation’.The leaders urge ‘a clear and compassionate response to these sufferings’ and remind the Governmentagain that their churches are ready and willing to help resettle the suffering victims of such horrors.They ask the Prime Minister to meet them as soon as possible. – Barney Zwartz, Medianet

NEW LIFE – 1 November 2016 – Page TenNEW LIFE – 1 November 2016 – Page Ten

‘LET THEM IN’‘LET THEM IN’

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 topersecution, suffering and existential threat.For purchasing options, visit:www.turnbackthebattle.com

Glorious Things – A Protestant’s Guide To London

• Revised! • Updated! • Illustrated! • Now Available As An e-Book!Glorious Things will help visitors to London

arrive well prepared to make the most of their time there.The guided tours will take you to places like Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral,

but Glorious Things will take you to important sites linked to our Protestant heritage.COST: $10 for the PDF version, with the right to print two hard copies.

PAYMENT OPTIONS:1. Cheque for $10 payable to New Life Australia. Mail to: PO Box 457, Mitcham Vic 3132.

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BSB: 033-112; A/c No: 16-8239 (Please also notify us by email).

Church Leaders Urge Government: Let Middle Eastern Christians In

Elizabeth Kendal’s New Book ...War! Destruction! Violent Persecution! Martyrdom! Forced Displacement!

For hundreds of thousands of now destitute Christian families, this is the new reality.Yet contrary to all appearances, God is at work in the Middle East.

‘Kendal’s book is a godsend to anyone who is at a loss to understand what lies behindthe suffering in the Middle East. Drawing on authoritative voices from the region, herclear-eyed analysis untangles the conflicts with the heart and insight of a prophet. Shegives a sobering account of the West’s complicity in the atrocities – and what we can doto bring healing in a crisis as appalling as is the indifference to it.

– Jeff M. Sellers, Editor, Persecution News Service, Morning Star News.For more information go to: www.ElizabethKendal.com

WHO CAN YOU FORWARD NEW LIFE TO?

Eleven Christian television stations in Pakistan have been declared illegal in the latest crackdown on Chris‐tians in the predominantly Muslim nation. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority, a governmentbody, has shut down Christian stations broadcasting in Urdu in an order issued at the end of September. Ten ofthe channels are Protestant Christian television stations, and include Isaac TV, Gawahi TV, God Bless TV, Barkat TV,Praise TV, Zindagi TV, Shine TV, Jesus TV, Healing TV and Khushkhabari TV. They had been allowed to broadcast for17 years. The authorities have also banned Catholic TV, the diocesan channel in Lahore. ‘All the Regional DirectorsGeneral are invited to take the necessary steps to immediately stop the illegal transmission of TV channels in theirrespective regions,’ the legal order stipulates. – Ruth Gledhill, Christian Today Contributing Editor

CHINA: House Churches ‘Ordered To Reform’China’s house churches are under fire again – as theauthorities step up the pressure on congregationsacross the country. Please pray for our Christianfamily in China, facing what appears to be an offi‐cial crackdown spreading throughout the country.The warning comes from Pastor Zhang Mingxuan,also known as Pastor ‘Bike’, who is president of theChinese House Church Alliance. He says that thegovernment is harassing churches in Guangdong,Zhejiang, Anhui, Sichuan and Henan provinces. Ahouse church in south‐western Sichuan, for exam‐ple, was recently issued with a ‘Notice of Order toReform’, instructing it to stop holding meetings at

its building in Jiuzhaigou town. It was also told tocomply with a list of other instructions, includingceasing to host unregistered preachers and foreignpastors. It was given 15 days to ‘carry out the cor‐rections’. – Release InternationalISRAEL: Christians PersecutedChristians in Israel face a great amount of persecu‐tion, according to Operation Mobilisation. Amongthe eight million people living in Israel, there are avariety of religions and beliefs – Orthodox Jews inJerusalem, Muslims in Nazareth, secular Christiansin Tel Aviv, and others. The true followers of Jesusin Israel often face spiritual opposition and socialostracism.

NEW LIFE – 1 November 2016 – Page ElevenNEW LIFE – 1 November 2016 – Page Eleven

PERSECUTION WATCH

Pakistan Steps Up Persecution, Banning 11 Christian TV Stations

Karachi prayer festival organised by one of the banned Christian TV channels

Cairo Bishop Urges Church To Be Ready For MartyrdomArchbishop Mouneer Anis, a senior Anglican Archbishop, has called for theChurch to be ‘ready to sacrifice their lives for the sake of Christ’ in the face of perse‐cution, restrictions, terrorism, and violence carried out in the name of religion. Arch‐bishop Mouneer Anis of Cairo was addressing archbishops and bishops from someof the most difficult places in the world in which to practise the Christian faith:Sudan, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi, Southern Africa, West Africa, In‐dian Ocean, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and South East Asia.The leaders of the Anglican Communion’s Global South (the world’s third largest Christian denom‐ination, after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches) – which is home to 72% of the world‐wide Anglican population, or about 62 million people – discussed critical challenges facing them,including poverty, the refugee crisis and religious violence. Archbishop Anis said the Church in the GlobalSouth had many challenges and weaknesses, and highlighted the prevalence of disease and ‘polygamy,tribalism, corruption, and harsh treatment of women’, as well as ‘false teaching’ of the prosperity gospel,the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons. He also warned of an ‘ideological slavery’ resulting from ‘someWestern churches and organisations using their wealth and influence to push their own agendas in theGlobal South. We need to be aware of this, and resist all kinds of slavery, whether financial or ideological,’or else face ‘cultural defeat and captivity.’ – Jayson Casper, World Watch Monitor via Worldwide Photos

Here is a major turning point in Acts and in the history of the Church. Lukerepeats incidents in his narrative for emphasis (see Acts 22.6–21, 26.12–18).Paul never forgets what a zealous persecutor of the church he had been (Philip‐pians 3.6, 1 Timothy 1.15,16; 1 Corinthians 15.9). He had authority from the highpriest in Jerusalem to arrest followers of the Way in the synagogues of Damascusand take them back to Jerusalem. His experience is much like that of Moses inExodus 3.2ff:• A light, a voice (Acts 9.30–34, Exodus 3.2–4).• The solemn repetition of the name ‘Saul, Saul’ (Acts 9.4) and ‘Moses, Moses’(Exodus 3.4)Notice Jesus asks Saul why Saul is persecuting Him (v 4). Jesus takes per‐secution of the followers of the Way personally; to persecute them is to per‐secute Him. One of Saul’s first lessons is to learn of the solidarity of the believer and Christ.It is little wonder that the concept of being ‘in Christ’ dominates his teaching (see Matthew 10.40).Jesus’ question indicates that He is looking for the reason for Saul’s zealous persecution. Saul, however,is far more interested in who is addressing Him (v 5). Jesus identifies Himself by His earthly name andaddress (v 5, Acts 22.8) as the One who in reality is being persecuted bySaul. The Lord Jesus however has plans for Saul and tells him to go intoDamascus and wait (v 6).Saul understands the Damascus road experience as his conversion,his seeing of the resurrected Christ (1 Corinthians 9.1, 15.8). The con‐version of such a zealous persecutor as Saul provides further evidencefor the truth and power of the Gospel to save. No one could argue thatSaul’s seeing the resurrected Christ was wishful thinking on his part.And so, the zealous persecutor becomes the zealous apostle. ‘Amaz‐ing grace, how sweet the sound that saves a wretch like me.’

NEW LIFE – 1 November 2016 – Page TwelveNEW LIFE – 1 November 2016 – Page Twelve

ACTS ACTS –– A JOURNEY TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTHA JOURNEY TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH –– DAVID COOKDAVID COOK

The Turning Point ACTS 9.1-6

FORREFLECTION:What are some of the charac‐teristics evidenced by Jesuson the Damascus road?Why do you think the conver‐sion of Saul is such a majorturning point for Luke?

Content taken from 'ACTS –To The Ends Of The Earth' by David Cook, published by 10Publishing, used with permission.

Matthew 25.10.Matthew 25.10.Be ready!Be ready!

SEEN ON FACEBOOK:

Website Worth Watching:www.adefenceofthebible.com

Words Of Wisdom:Words Of Wisdom:

BOOKS WORTH READINGBOOKS WORTH READING

NEW LIFE – 1 November 2016 – Page ThirteenNEW LIFE – 1 November 2016 – Page Thirteen

THE KINDNESS OF GOD: Christian Witness In Our TroubledWorld, David W. Smith, Nottingham: IVP, 2013.ISBN 978-1-84474-649-1.Recent events such as mass migrations, resurgent Islam and the Waron Terror have shown how fragile Western democracies are and that oldsocial paradigms are in a state of collapse. What are Christians to think insuch a situation? What are God’s purposes in this time of rapid transitionto an uncertain future? How is Christian mission to respond and change inthe face of these developments? David W. Smith is Senior Research Fellowat the International Christian College in Glasgow. This book started as con‐ference talks in Jos, Nigeria in 2012 under the threat of a terror attack fromBoko Haram. In other words, this is far more than a detached, academic dis‐cussion of these issues.David Smith sees the major imperatives as the re-evangelization of theWest, the threat of the ideology of globalization and resurgent Islam. Hecalls on Western Christians to differentiate themselves from the prevailingworship of technology and the market, so that they can be authentic and soable to evangelize Muslims and indeed their own compatriots. The confu‐sion between the Gospel and Western culture needs to be untangled, so thatwe can reassert Christ’s rule over economics and social policy, for the Gospelis both personally and socially transformative.In other words, Smith calls for a holistic theology, for the church thatearlier made the mistake of being an arm of colonialism has in the late 20thCentury unwittingly become the tool of secularization and globalization.Smith urges us to be more sensitive to the (sometimes valid) fears of non‐Christians (secularist and Muslim) to forms of Christianity that are cultur‐ally imperialist. This does not mean denying or watering‐down the Gospel,but instead requires us to remove any inappropriate cultural wrapper fromthe Gospel we offer to others. Christianity is a “translatable faith” and is not tied to any one cultureor language. The privatization of religion in the West is not to be exportedto the East. Indeed, African Christians and Muslim‐background convertsmay need to instruct us about what it means for Christ to be Lord in allspheres. In various ways, we may be misreading the Bible, for it is too easyto read it in a way that simply affirms the comfortable lifestyle of the bene‐ficiaries of globalisation and condemns its victims as lazy and underservingof help. Both the Old Testament prophets and the Apostle Paul resisted andcritiqued the imperial ideologies of their day (Babylonian and Roman),and today that dominant consensus is globalization. The Gospel properlyunderstood and faithfully applied means forgiveness, freedom and justice,and its message provides an alternate vision of the world centred on Christ,which is apocalyptic and counter‐cultural.Smith finally provides a fresh reading of Paul’s Letter to the Romans,showing that it directly challenges the dominant worldview of the Romanimperium (Romans 12.2). It was written to urban Christians in the over‐crowded tenements of the city of Rome. He insists that it can speak anew tomodern urban Christians who need to be involved in God’s mission to theworld. Smith has written a book that is designed to enlighten, unsettle andchallenge the Church, and he succeeds admirably in all these areas.

– Greg Goswell

‘Smith haswrittena bookthat isdesigned toenlighten,unsettleandchallengetheChurch,and hesucceedsadmirablyin all theseareas.’

NEW LIFE – 1 November 2016 – Page FourteenNEW LIFE – 1 November 2016 – Page Fourteen

WITH CHRISTWITH CHRIST

Betty Effie Black (1929-2016) was born in Mareeba, North Queensland, the thirdof five children in the sawmilling and farming Christie family. They moved to Brisbanewhere Betty completed her secondary schooling and spent several years in practicaloffice work. She began nursing training at Brisbane General Hospital in 1947, thenMidwifery at Melbourne’s Women’s Hospital, before Infant Welfare in Brisbane, fol‐lowed by six months at a Queensland country hospital.At the Brisbane Hospital Betty became good friends with some Christian nurses,and committed her life to Christ in August 1948 at a Hyman Appleman crusade. Duringthis period she heard God’s call to leprosy work in Sudan, Africa. Betty joined the Joyful News Mission in Brisbane’sFortitude Valley where Pastor Vic Ham was a valued encourager. She also joined the Australian Nurses ChristianMovement.In 1953 Betty enrolled at the Queensland Bible Institute (now Brisbane School of Theology) graduating in1955, and was accepted for service with Sudan United Mission. A 13‐week course at the Summer Institute of Lin‐guistics followed. Among the five other SUMers there was a young man from Wollongong NSW named Keith Black.He asked Betty to be his partner in practical sessions that required students to work in pairs. After the courseBetty worked for six months among leprosy sufferers on Peel Island in Moreton Bay, Qld, which included learninghow to extract teeth. Then the journey to Sudan began as part of a group of six, including Keith Black, who hadproposed to Betty. They were married in Sudan in April 1957. During 22 years of ministry in Sudan, Tchad, and Nigeria Betty’s skills and gifts were used to the full. InSudan she was in charge of a large dispensary serving hundreds of students at a nearby school plus the local pop‐ulation. This included performing lumber punctures during a meningitis epidemic, as well as learning Arabic, thefirst of six languages she mastered. One was Moro and she and Keith worked together to translate the New Testa‐ment. This included teaching many Moros how to read, resulting in significant church growth. Transfer to Tchadrequired French and Zime. While Keith trained translators who subsequently completed the New Testament, Bettytaught in the Bible School. The local church historian in Kelo, Tchad, said of Betty: ‘She worked day and night tosucceed in the Zime language, teaching people to read.Their friends were as numerous as a plague of grasshop‐pers.’A transfer to Nigeria in 1970 saw Betty again serving leprosy patients. Among her non‐leprous patients werethe King of five million Kanuri people and the Army Commander. After learning the Hausa language Betty nowmastered the very difficult Kanuri language (helped by the King) and wrote a book to help others learn it. Later,freed from medical work, she focused on church administration for the strong national church and travelled widelyto encourage literacy.The family returned to Australia in 1978 with Keith appointed ANZ Director of SUM, admirably supportedby Betty. Their 18 years in this post included some return visits to Africa. After retirement in 1996, Keith and Bettymoved from Sydney to Brisbane and were involved in church ministry and missionary outreach. Two years laterthe Bible College of Queensland presented Betty with their Distinguished Graduates Award for ‘outstanding con‐tribution to the work of mission in Africa and Australia.’Already shaken by the tragic deaths of daughter Christine and her seven-year-old daughter Sheena, Betty’shealth began to deteriorate. At the end of 1999 she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Rosemary and Bron‐wyn and their families moved to Brisbane to help care for their mother. Keith and Betty moved to PresCare’sHopetoun facility in 2003. Two years later Betty moved into the nursing home there, and later to PresCare LakeSherrin.Keith commented at her funeral service that ‘her love for her Saviour never wavered … she was like thewoman described by King Lemuel in Proverbs 31.10‐31. When she left for Africa God gave Betty three promises:“I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you.” He has kept those promises To God be the glory!’

Written by Royce Perkins at the request of Rev Keith Black

Wife, Mother, Missionary, Nurse, Linguist

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