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JOEL-NEWS-INTERNATIONAL-446 * 27 JUNE 2003 * WWW.JOELNEWS.ORG

IN THIS EDITION:

JN446-1. TYPICALLY GOD: Miracles in India draw villagers to Jesus
JN446-2. PRAYER FOCUS: International Prayer Council
JN446-3. PRAYER FOCUS: North Korea
JN446-4. RESOURCE: Report France 2003
JN446-5. RESOURCE: Harry Potter release
JN446-6. RESOURCE: The Religious Spirit

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JN446-1. TYPICALLY GOD: Miracles in India draw villagers to Jesus

God is at work in powerful ways in the villages of India. A man suffering from leprosy was healed after two Christians asked Jesus Christ to restore his health, and the whole family now worships Jesus. Another man's son had not been able to walk for 12 years until Jesus healed his lameness, and his whole family now follows Jesus. A woman was bedridden for more than a month and, as believers prayed for her, the fever vanished and she sat up, praising God. A man practiced witchcraft until hearing about Jesus, when he experienced a life transformation, threw away his idols and witchcraft instruments, and became a disciple of Christ. A woman succumbed to a lengthy illness and was pronounced dead at the hospital, but when a Christian leader from her village prayed, God restored her life and she now testifies to what the Lord Jesus has done for her.

Praise God for the mighty wonders and deeds he is working among these villagers in India! Pray that He will continue to reveal Himself to the lost and hurting, drawing them to salvation and recording their names in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Source: Advance

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JN446-2. PRAYER FOCUS: International Prayer Council

The International Prayer Council (IPC) executive leadership group meets in London this weekend and requests prayer for their role in encouraging and connecting the global prayer movement. John Robb writes: "We want to achieve the following: 1) to renew fellowship with one another and hear from the Lord together; 2) to review progress made and to plan and pray for the future of the IPC.

Let's pray that these two objectives will be fully accomplished and that the team will have God's love, unity, clarity and creativity as they work together.

Source: IPC

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JN446-3. PRAYER FOCUS: North Korea

A special day of prayer for North Korea is being organized by AsiaLink Ministries and a number of other ministries including Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Open Doors, Jubilee Campaign, and Release International. "Our desire is to see thousands of churches and believers around the world impacting one of the world most closed and repressive regimes - communist North Korea - in a worldwide Day of Prayer on Sunday, June 29, 2003," said Rev. Dale Hiscock, executive director of AsiaLink Ministries.

"Even today North Korea was threatening the US and its allies with war if there is an economic blockade against it. But what is perhaps the most distressing are the conditions that the people and Christians of North Korea are forced to live under," said Hiscock. "Little has been known about North Korea over the last decades. The communist government has sought to decimate the church and repress Christianity with great ruthlessness. As a result of a lack of information, the situation of the church has remained a mystery and the church worldwide, outside Korea, has forgotten the need to pray for these most persecuted of our brothers and sisters."

LINK: http://www.csw.org.uk/northkorea.htm

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JN446-4. RESOURCE: Report France 2003

France 2003, the platform that organized the recent '40 days of prayer and fasting for France', compiled an encouraging report. The number of intercessors for France increased with 30% over the last year. As a result of prayer there is a growing unity among churches, and also some significant changes in politics and society.

The report can be retrieved by sending an empty e-mail to lyris@xc.org with only this command in the body of your mail:

get joel-news-international report-france2003

LINK: http://www.lafrance2003.org/UK/index.htm

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JN446-5. RESOURCE: Harry Potter release

Several prayer movements mobilised intercession around the release of the fifth Harry Potter book last weekend. The release coincided with the start of the Summer solstice, a date marked with celebrations by wiccans and pagan groups worldwide. According to one prayer leader "evil spirits and curses are released, especially against children." There are many Christian websites that warn against the influence of Harry Potter books on children. We selected an article that sums up the main arguments of these opponents.

LINK: http://makeashorterlink.com/?H2E421415

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JN446-6. RESOURCE: The Religious Spirit

A teaching from Todd Bentley about how to be free from religion without being in rebellion, recognizing the controlling spirit and walking in freedom.

LINK: http://www.etpv.org/2002/trelig.html

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COLOPHON

Joel News International is a leading special interest bulletin on prayer, church growth and revival. We offer a keen selection of the most encouraging news reports, the most challenging developments and the best resources from over 100 reliable sources in six continents. Joel News International is a great help and time-saver for thousands of Christian leaders and intercessors in over 120 nations.

Editors: Alex ten Cate and Marc van der Woude. You can contact the editorial office at joel-news@xs4all.nl.

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