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From http://www.crosswalk.com
Iraq Update: Shiite Ascendency Threatens Region
Elizabeth Kendal
AUSTRALIA --Fr AL-BAZY RELEASED: Father Douglas Yousef Al-Bazy (34), a Chaldean Catholic priest who had been kidnapped from his Baghdad parish, has been released without serious injury.
He was not tortured during his nine-day captivity. RLP 405 requested specific prayer for his safe return and Compass Direct (CD) reports Fr Al-Bazy as saying, 'I know that the prayers of people saved me.'
He regards his life as being 'in the hand of God' and despite the dangers he plans to return to his ministry in St Elijah's Church.
KILLINGS AND KIDNAPPINGS CONTINUE: On Sunday 26 November Presbyterian elder Munthir (69) was kidnapped at gunpoint outside his home as he returned from worship at the National Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Mosul.
The kidnappers negotiated for three days before cutting off all communication. On Thursday 30 November Elder Munthir's body was found, having been executed the previous evening.
CD reports that Munthir was 'the sixth generation of his family to serve in Mosul's Presbyterian Church'.
As Mosul's Christian community grieved, Baghdad's Chaldean Catholic Patriarchate confirmed to CD that another priest had been kidnapped. Fr Samy Abdulahad was kidnapped on the morning of 4 December after he left home for the Church of Mar Khorkhis (Saint George) in the Al-Sinaa district of Baghdad.
Fr Abdulahad is also a professor of theology at the Chaldean Babel Seminary which has been temporarily closed due to insecurity.
A believer in Mosul, accepting the death of Elder Munthir as being in the providence and sovereign will of God, and affirming his faith that God was always in control, told CD, 'We will never just pray, "God, save us from this." But we will pray also, "God, show us your will in this."'
Another Iraqi Christian said to CD, 'As Christians, we are giving a lot of martyrs, a lot of blood for Jesus' name here in Iraq.'
SHIITE ASCENDENCY THREATENS REGION
For decades, Iran's (Shiite) Islamic Revolution was contained by Saddam Hussein's US-backed Iraq to the west, and Saudi-sponsored Sunni radicalisation in Pakistan (which evolved into the Taliban) and Afghanistan to the east.
But the removal of Saddam Hussein's regime from Shiite-majority Iraq dissolved the western buffer and Iraq is now the first Arab nation to be under Shiite domination. The Iran-backed Shiites intend to control Iraq and expand political influence further westward.
Though Syria is majority Sunni, its Baathist rulers are Alawite (a Shiite sect) so they have Iranian support. (It is purely political convenience that motivates Lebanese and Iranian Shiites to accept Syria's Alawites as Shiites rather than rejecting them as heretics.)
Lebanon, home to the Shiite militia and political force Hezballah, is around 40-50 percent Shiite. The Shiites, led by Hezballah chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah, want to dominate Lebanon.
For Iran's apocalyptic theocrats Iraq, Syria and Lebanon are hugely strategic geopolitically, as they can enable Shiite military power to stretch from Iran right around to the northern border of Israel.
Like the sizable indigenous Christian minority in Iraq, the significant indigenous Christian minority in Lebanon (who were a majority a few decades ago) are sitting atop a tremouring volcanic Sunni/Shia sectarian fault-line.
Like Christians in Iraq, Christians in the Levant desperately need our prayers.
PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR:
* God to protect his Church in Iraq so the light of Christ is not extinguished or forced underground; may the Church grow in grace and faith - refined, not consumed, by this fire. (Isaiah 43:1-7)
Isaiah 43
Israel's Only Savior
1 But now, this is what the LORD saysâ€â€
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
3 For I am the LORD, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
Cush [a] and Seba in your stead.
4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you,
I will give men in exchange for you,
and people in exchange for your life.
5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.
6 I will say to the north, 'Give them up!'
and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.'
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth-
7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made."
Footnotes:
Isaiah 43:3 That is, the upper Nile region
* Fr Al-Bazy's ongoing ministry in Baghdad despite the dangers, giving thanks for his safe return from kidnap.
* the safe return of Father Samy Abdulahad (also reported as Fr Samy Al Raiys), so God's people are not deprived of another teacher and leader.
* God to be preparing his Church in the Levant - and throughout the world - so the Church will be able to display grace and faith and speak words of the truth of life, no matter what the circumstances, as God who is totally in control continues to 'unite all things in him. . .' (Ephesians 1:9-10)
9And he[a] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillmentâ€â€to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
* the Church in Iraq and the Levant to be kept by God not only as a mercy to Christian families and communities but as a mercy to a needy world.
Iraq Update: Shiite Ascendency Threatens Region
Elizabeth Kendal
AUSTRALIA --Fr AL-BAZY RELEASED: Father Douglas Yousef Al-Bazy (34), a Chaldean Catholic priest who had been kidnapped from his Baghdad parish, has been released without serious injury.
He was not tortured during his nine-day captivity. RLP 405 requested specific prayer for his safe return and Compass Direct (CD) reports Fr Al-Bazy as saying, 'I know that the prayers of people saved me.'
He regards his life as being 'in the hand of God' and despite the dangers he plans to return to his ministry in St Elijah's Church.
KILLINGS AND KIDNAPPINGS CONTINUE: On Sunday 26 November Presbyterian elder Munthir (69) was kidnapped at gunpoint outside his home as he returned from worship at the National Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Mosul.
The kidnappers negotiated for three days before cutting off all communication. On Thursday 30 November Elder Munthir's body was found, having been executed the previous evening.
CD reports that Munthir was 'the sixth generation of his family to serve in Mosul's Presbyterian Church'.
As Mosul's Christian community grieved, Baghdad's Chaldean Catholic Patriarchate confirmed to CD that another priest had been kidnapped. Fr Samy Abdulahad was kidnapped on the morning of 4 December after he left home for the Church of Mar Khorkhis (Saint George) in the Al-Sinaa district of Baghdad.
Fr Abdulahad is also a professor of theology at the Chaldean Babel Seminary which has been temporarily closed due to insecurity.
A believer in Mosul, accepting the death of Elder Munthir as being in the providence and sovereign will of God, and affirming his faith that God was always in control, told CD, 'We will never just pray, "God, save us from this." But we will pray also, "God, show us your will in this."'
Another Iraqi Christian said to CD, 'As Christians, we are giving a lot of martyrs, a lot of blood for Jesus' name here in Iraq.'
SHIITE ASCENDENCY THREATENS REGION
For decades, Iran's (Shiite) Islamic Revolution was contained by Saddam Hussein's US-backed Iraq to the west, and Saudi-sponsored Sunni radicalisation in Pakistan (which evolved into the Taliban) and Afghanistan to the east.
But the removal of Saddam Hussein's regime from Shiite-majority Iraq dissolved the western buffer and Iraq is now the first Arab nation to be under Shiite domination. The Iran-backed Shiites intend to control Iraq and expand political influence further westward.
Though Syria is majority Sunni, its Baathist rulers are Alawite (a Shiite sect) so they have Iranian support. (It is purely political convenience that motivates Lebanese and Iranian Shiites to accept Syria's Alawites as Shiites rather than rejecting them as heretics.)
Lebanon, home to the Shiite militia and political force Hezballah, is around 40-50 percent Shiite. The Shiites, led by Hezballah chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah, want to dominate Lebanon.
For Iran's apocalyptic theocrats Iraq, Syria and Lebanon are hugely strategic geopolitically, as they can enable Shiite military power to stretch from Iran right around to the northern border of Israel.
Like the sizable indigenous Christian minority in Iraq, the significant indigenous Christian minority in Lebanon (who were a majority a few decades ago) are sitting atop a tremouring volcanic Sunni/Shia sectarian fault-line.
Like Christians in Iraq, Christians in the Levant desperately need our prayers.
PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR:
* God to protect his Church in Iraq so the light of Christ is not extinguished or forced underground; may the Church grow in grace and faith - refined, not consumed, by this fire. (Isaiah 43:1-7)
Isaiah 43
Israel's Only Savior
1 But now, this is what the LORD saysâ€â€
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
3 For I am the LORD, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
Cush [a] and Seba in your stead.
4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you,
I will give men in exchange for you,
and people in exchange for your life.
5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.
6 I will say to the north, 'Give them up!'
and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.'
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth-
7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made."
Footnotes:
Isaiah 43:3 That is, the upper Nile region
* Fr Al-Bazy's ongoing ministry in Baghdad despite the dangers, giving thanks for his safe return from kidnap.
* the safe return of Father Samy Abdulahad (also reported as Fr Samy Al Raiys), so God's people are not deprived of another teacher and leader.
* God to be preparing his Church in the Levant - and throughout the world - so the Church will be able to display grace and faith and speak words of the truth of life, no matter what the circumstances, as God who is totally in control continues to 'unite all things in him. . .' (Ephesians 1:9-10)
9And he[a] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillmentâ€â€to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
* the Church in Iraq and the Levant to be kept by God not only as a mercy to Christian families and communities but as a mercy to a needy world.