Table of contents for December 2015 in JOY! Magazine

Construction has commenced on a new church in Egypt dedicated to the martyred Coptic Christians beheaded by the Islamic State in Libya in February 2015. The new church, bearing the name “Church of the Libyan Martyrs,” is being built in the Minya Governorate, south of the capital, Cairo. The church will cost $1.3 million (R17 million). Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi granted permission for the construction of the church after Islamic State militants murdered 21 Coptic Christians on a Libyan beach. According to Father Rafic Greiche, spokesman for the Catholic Church in Egypt, the construction is indicative of a slow but noticeable shift taking place in Egyptian culture as well as among state officials. The change comprises improving attitudes toward Christians, but also resistance to Islamic extremism.…

Members of India’s ruling BJP party, one in the Lower and one in the Upper House of the national Parliament, plan to introduce a Private Members’ Bill, to introduce a national law against conversion from Hinduism. The Tribune reported that MP, Tarun Vijay, stated that the recently released Indian “religion” census had indicated that, for the first time, the population of Hindus has been reported to be less than 80% and that measures to arrest the decline needed to be taken to keep the Hindus in majority in the country. Vijay is reported to have said his proposed bill will advocate for a “non-bailable warrant to be issued against the person found engaged in the act [of conversion], along with a ten-year jail [sentence]”.…

Soda Stream International, the Israeli manufacturer of sparkling water makers, is offering jobs to 1 000 Syrian refugees in its newly opened plant in the southern Israeli town of Rahat. They can provide up to 200 families with an opportunity to build a life in Israel, pending Israeli authorities’approval. Rahat is a city of 55 000 and the largest Bedouin city in the world. Some 30% of the 1 100 workers in Soda Stream’s factory are residents of the town. “We enjoy a progressive, urban lifestyle in Rahat; however, we haven’t abandoned our culture and our tribal traditions,” said Rahat Mayor Talal Al-Krenawi. “Human dignity and hospitality are core values in our culture and we will not allow indifference to the suffering of others.”…

Rev Jesús Noel Carballeda, who pastors an unregistered church in Havana, was detained earlier this year and imprisoned in the Valle Grande prison outside of Havana. Religious freedom advocacy Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) said that while he didn’t appear to have been tried, he was informed while in prison that he would be held for six months as punishment for continued unauthorised religious activity. Carballeda was recently released. It’s the second time Rev Carballeda has been imprisoned - he spent four months in jail in 2000 following complaints about church services held in his home and was subsequently put on probation. While barred from holding any religious activity in his family home, CSW says he continued to lead his church - linked to the Apostolic Movement, a Protestant church network…

The Hyatt Hotel Corporation has stopped offering on-demand pornography in its 160 000 hotel rooms, according to the National Centre on Sexual Exploitation. “Hyatt is taking a stand against prostitution and sex trafficking, which are crimes that often take place in hotels,” said Patrick Trueman, the group’s president and CEO. “Pornography increases the demand for prostitution and sex trafficking.” The move allowed Hyatt to come off a list of corporations that aid the porn industry.…

Six churches were recently burnt down in northwest Tanzania within one week. The secretary of the local pastors’ organisation, the Bukoba Pastors Fellowship, said there have been many arson attacks in the Kagera area. “Since 2013 we have had over 13 churches torched here in Kagera and no one has been held accountable,”said the secretary.“We are very upset and concerned as this is a trend that can no longer be ignored,” she said. “The police tell us they are investigating but we have heard no progress from investigations of previous church arson attacks.”…

Earlier this year, nearly half of all the saigas, a critically endangered antelope that roams Kazakhstan, died off. The problem escalated when an entire herd of 60 000 died off within four days. Some scientists have speculated that bacterial overgrowth, caused by eating too much greenery, might be the culprit, but recent analysis has not supported this theory. Richard Kock, a wildlife veterinarian who accompanied the research team, was mystified. He told Nature, “’I have worked in veterinary diseases my entire career and I’ve never seen 100% mortality.”…

Buddhism forms an integral part of daily life in Thailand. The most common form is Theravada Buddhism, which is a combination of traditional and animistic practices. However, the transforming power of Jesus Christ is indescribable. He transforms people’s lives on so many levels - spiritually, emotionally and even physically. What follows is a testimony of a listener who is following the Bible Correspondence Course that is presented by FEBC (Far East Broadcasting Company) Thailand. A Buddhist medium “Before I became a Christian, I was a dedicated Buddhist just like my forefathers. As a Buddhist I had many different experiences. For a time, I was the person responsible for summoning the “primary spirit”. Each time I did this, I became very ill for no apparent reason. I often ended up in…

Zephaniah had the difficult job of bringing condemnation and a warning of the Day of the Lord to the people of Judah. It was a time of spiritual audit and an era of punishment. Hezekiah was the last good king of the Southern Kingdom of Judah (Isa 36-39). During the reign of King Manasseh, who reigned for 55 years, royal offspring were sacrificed to the god Molech, under the King’s direction. The name Zephaniah means “hidden by God”. Zephaniah survived the slaughter under the wicked King Manasseh. The Lord had hidden and preserved Zephaniah to be a prophet for His people. Human sacrifices and perversion After the reign of King Hezekiah, the nation of Judah had drifted far from God. Manasseh was involved with astrology and spiritist mediums, in defiance…

Cruel words spoken in anger. A betrayal of trust. Promises broken. A destructive relationship you knew you should not have entered into. Have you been down those dark paths before? So many people are living in the shadow of guilt that is a painfully lonely and arduous journey for them. Forgiveness brings healing Perhaps the paralysed man who was let down through the roof by his four friends in the book of Mark understood a little of this. The Bible tells us he was paralysed to the point that he could only lie on a mat, which was how his friends carried him to the house Jesus was in. With the man lying inert on his mat, his friends lowered him through the roof, right in front of Christ –…

Heavenly Father, Creator of life, the only true living God, we pray in the Name of Jesus, the Saviour and Redeemer. We pray in fear and awe of You, in reverence and with thanksgiving for Your Holy Spirit, the Resurrection Life! We praise You that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Thank You that You are so much bigger than our minds can begin to conceive. Thank You that You alone are perfect. Before You formed each one of us in the womb, You knew and approved us; You set us apart and consecrated us. You have plans for all of us - thoughts and plans for welfare and peace. We pray for the following in this issue: • Christmas: Thank You Lord Jesus for humbling Yourself to live among us…

Have you ever wondered what the Christmas Carol, 12 Days Of Christmas, means? What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge that won’t come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas? From 1558 until 1829, many Christians in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning, plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember. 1. The ‘partridge in a pear tree’ was Jesus Christ 2. ‘Two turtle doves’ were the Old and New Testaments 3. ‘Three French hens’…

A few years ago in Spain, a man named Antonio (pseudonym) cried out to God, “If you’re real, speak to me!” He was in an elevator on his way to a hotel room. Highly educated at 27 years old, he had taught chemistry and maths at a Catholic school in Spain. He knew of God, but didn’t know Him personally. The bellhop helped him to his room where he found a Gideon Bible on his bed. When he asked why the Bible was on the bed, the bellhop told him it was for those who wanted “to hear God speak to them.” The same day Antonio accepted Jesus as his Lord and Saviour, he preached the Gospel to his entire family. In one week, 35 of his family members became…

The University of Toronto’s elite College has been forced to recognise the existence of two genders and re-establish separate washrooms for male and female students sharing its co-ed residences. The move was provoked by incidents of male students holding their cell phones above the shower stall dividers in so-called gender-neutral communal washrooms to record female students showering. Setting up gender-neutral washrooms to make transgender people feel more comfortable, “creates a situation ripe for abuse by predators,” said Walter Heyer, a onetime male-to-female transgender person who now operates a website to advocate against sex changes.…

Many of the 200 girls from Chibok, who were abducted in 2014, are alive and holed up in the Lake Chad region of the North-East epicentre in the battle to dislodge Boko Haram terrorists from Nigeria, according to one of the kidnapped girls who managed to escape. Of the 276 girls who were abducted early last year from the north-eastern town of Chibok, some 223 are still missing. The escapee girl was said to have confessed that many of them were forcefully married to the terrorists, who not only impregnated them, but infected them with different diseases also. At the camp where she escaped from, she said that there were about 60 girls, while others were shared and moved to border communities. The teenage girl further disclosed to security agencies…

As European governments wrestle with the question of how wide to throw open their borders to a flood of refugees fleeing the insufferable conflict in Syria, many Arabs are riled that the oil-rich Gulf states have so far failed to take in any asylum seekers. Activist Iyad El-Baghdadi said that Saudis are enraged at the perceived callous inactivity of the Saudi Arabian and other Gulf governments, made worse because at least some of those countries have invested sizable resources in backing warring factions in the very conflicts that are fuelling the migrant crisis. The UN Refugee Agency says some six million people have been displaced by the four-year-old Syrian civil war, with over a million finding refuge in Lebanon, 600 000 in Jordan, and 1.9 million in Turkey. Hundreds of…

Christ For All Nations (CFAN), the evangelistic ministry of Daniel Kolenda, recently hosted a four-day crusade in Lusaka, Zambia. CFAN is known for their diligence in receiving decision cards for those who respond to the Gospel message and also for following up and discipling new believers. This crusade in particular received a wonderful response and Kolenda sent the following message to all supports: “We have just received word back from Lusaka, Zambia, where our latest Gospel crusade was held. 384 110 decision cards were completed and returned over the four days of meetings! The local churches are now hard at work following up on the new converts and we trust the Lord for “fruit that remains.” Please join us in praying for those who made a decision – that they…

Famous speaker and author, Louie Giglio will be returning to South Africa from the 12th -13th February 2016 on a Passion World Tour. The Passion Movement exists to glorify God by uniting the Church in worship and prayer to lift up the Name of Jesus. Hundreds of thousands of (mostly) co l l e g e - a g e d young people have come together in stadiums and arenas around the globe to worship Jesus, breathe in His presence, be shaped by His Word and join hands in prayer to extend His mercy and grace to the world. The Passion movement has hosted events in Cape Town and Johannesburg in the past; next year they will be at Loftus Stadium, Pretoria and at Cape Town Stadium. Joining Louie Giglio…

“But i fear, least somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”2 Corinthians 11:3 It is the time of year when we celebrate Christmas and the birth of the Saviour of the world, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. But, who is this Jesus? Throughout history, many a ‘Jesus’ has come and gone. Paul the apostle warned us of this and that even another ‘gospel’ would be preached. To the Corinthians and the Galatians he wrote: “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you…

As a young man who is passionate about God, I want to share a Scriptural principle that has turned my life upside-down and that is currently reshaping almost everything I thought I knew about Church and following Jesus. I grew up with my grandparents, Simon and Elizabeth Boltman. This was because my mother worked in the northern suburbs of Cape Town and my sister and I went to school in the southern suburbs. My mom worked hard to support my sister and I, as both of us were growing up without the presence of our father. Vulnerable and father-less I have no memory of my dad being around. My parents divorced when I was a baby, so growing up, I idolised my grandfather and my uncle Simon. They were the…

‘Who I Am,’ is a reflection of Blanca’s season of surrender, bringing crowds to their feet and hearts to the Throne. When it comes to stepping out in faith, Blanca sprints. After wrapping her powerhouse vocals around infectious and intense beats as part of hip/hop group, Group 1 Crew for several years, this multiple-award winning vocalist made the leap and is flying solo. ‘Who I Am,’ the lead single from her self-titled solo debut is an upbeat reflection of a season of soul-searching and surrender, buoyed by an effervescent soul/pop vibe that brings a crowd to their feet and hearts to the Throne. Refreshing new sounds ‘Who I Am’ takes Blanca’s signature sound to a new and distinct soul/pop, hip-hop vibe, indicating a different artistic direction. While opening the door…

Congratulations Your celebration issue is wonderful! The front cover, with all the photos of previous issues, brings back many memories. Actually, I don’t throw away any of my copies, so I’m pleased to have others to bless with the unsold copies we are able to collect. It was wonderful to read the testimonies of the regular contributors and to see photos of their families. It makes one cry to see the photos of the refugees; such a sad world we live in now. I found Peter Hammond’s review of Habbakuk excellent; the contrast [that he highlighted] in each chapter was very uplifting. God is still in control, although there is so much wickedness and cruelty, a Day of Judgement is coming when we’ll all give an account of our lives.…

1. Although now mostly vegetarian, in Victorian times, mince pies were made with beef and spices. 2. Despite the tale of three wise men paying homage to baby Jesus, the Bible never gives a number. 3. Carols began as an old English custom called wassailing - toasting neighbours to a long life. 4. Carols weren’t sung in churches until they were introduced by St Francis of Assisi in the 13th century. 5. Hanging stockings out comes from the Dutch custom of leaving shoes packed with food for St Nicholas’ donkeys. He would leave small gifts in return. 6. Nearly 60 million Christmas trees are grown each year in Europe. 7. The word ‘Noel’ derives from the French expression “les bonnes nouvelles” or “the good news”. 8. Jesus was probably born…

The Islamic State terror group has issued a “safety contract” that Christians living in the captured Syrian town of Qaryatian must follow, which includes eleven specific commandments, if they want to live. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights noted that Christians in the captured town will have to pay the jizyah tax imposed on non-Muslims, in addition to the other commandments issued by IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The watchdog group listed the eleven stipulations, which prohibit: the establishment of churches, the displaying of crosses, making Muslims hear Christian prayers or rituals of worship, the hiding of spies, offending Islamic religious beliefs, the carrying of weapons, the sale of pork or wine to Muslims, and failing to dress modestly. Nahren Anweya, an Assyrian-American activist, said that the terror group, which…

There was a time when owning a Bible in China was illegal. For decades, missionaries smuggled Bibles and other Christian literature into China, but not anymore. In the world’s most populous nation, technically still Communist and officially atheist, comes the story of a mission to reach China’s masses with God’s Word. “There is still a lot of darkness here that is suppressing the light,” Joseph Cui, a Christian businessman in Beijing, said.“We have seen God open the doors and He wants us to be a light.” In 2004, Cui opened one of China’s first legally registered Christian bookstores. Since then, Christian bookstores have flourished. Christian bookstores have now become a place of active evangelism and outreach. Two years ago, Chinese authorities dealt a huge blow to Christian bookstore owners by…

The Russian Orthodox Church has lent its support to Vladamir Putin’s campaigns in Syria as a ‘holy war,’ echoing the refrain of bygone centuries in Christendom. “The fight with terrorism is a holy battle and today our country is perhaps the most active force in the world fighting it,” said Vsevolod Chaplin, head of the Church’s Public Affairs Department. While many in the U.S. are wary of Putin’s actions in Syria, Iran and Iraq, he seems to have a loyal ally in the Russian Church. In 2012, the Russian church brought to Putin’s attention the rising tide of persecution against Christians under Islam and requested Putin to make the protection of Christians one of his priorities.…

The recent trial of nine Christian women in the Sudanese capital Khartoum for wearing trousers and skirts - deemed “indecent or immoral dress” - has brought fresh attention to the plight of Sudan’s Christian minority. According to a story by World Watch Monitor (WWM), the women were from the Nuba Mountains, one of the key disputed areas between North and South Sudan, but eventually went to the North, becoming part of the Islamic Republic of Sudan. Since South Sudan’s independence in 2011, Sudan’s government has waged a “relentless” bombing campaign on the South Kordofan region, according to a report by Amnesty International. They stated that “Since the start of the (four-year) conflict, the population in South Kordofan has been living in desperate conditions.” Please pray for the isolated Christians in…

Guatemalan voters have chosen a comedian with studies inTheology as their new president. Jimmy Morales was initially considered an outsider, but surprised the nation by leading the first round of elections, easily qualifying for the runoff. Morales ran on a platform of conservative values, opposing gay marriage, abortion, and the legalisation of marijuana. The election followed months of political crisis, including the resignation of outgoing President Otto Perez Molina and his arrest on fraud and corruption charges. The Guatemalan church played an important role through the social and political crisis, mobilising more than 700 churches for prayer vigils and fasting. Both Christians and non-believers agree that the peaceful solution to Guatemala’s crisis and the entire electoral process offers a lesson to other nations on the power of prayer.…

God has given a Pakistani pastor the vision to build a 100-bed Christian hospital in an area south of Lahore that is 98% Muslim. He’s building a three-metre-high wall around the property and housing for security guards first. Born in a nominally Christian family, Pastor Massey accepted Jesus as his Saviour in 1972 after attending an evangelistic meeting. In 1989, after Pastor Saleem Massey earned a seminary degree in the U.S. When asked about his ministry vision as he returned to the land of his birth, he said: “I want to plant twelve churches, start a Bible school and a hospital.” Some 26 years later, he has planted 16 churches, multiple schools, and is on his way to fulfilling the totality of God’s plan. Poor villages surround the five-acre parcel…

Major reserves of oil have been discovered on the Golan Heights, which could make Israel self-sufficient for many years to come, according to drilling company Afek Oil and Gas. “We are talking about a layer which is 350 metres thick,” Dr. Yuval Bartov, the chief geologist of Afek Oil and Gas told Channel 2 News. “On average in the world strata are 20-30 metres thick, so this is ten times as large as that, so we are talking about significant quantities.”…

This month marks the fifth anniversary of the Arab Spring, a social movement demanding an end to human rights violations, corruption, and poverty, that originated in Tunisia in 2010. Since then, the vigorous protests across the Arab World have produced something less than a full flowering of democracy. For Christians especially, it has created crumbling conditions across the Middle East. In some countries the impact of the Arab Spring has been little felt. In others, it has uncorked sectarian hostilities and changed the lives of people profoundly and for the worse. At the same time, the rise of militant Islam has prompted new seekers to approach the Church in search of answers. A Christian winter Christians in Arabic countries were already a significant religious minority, even before the Arab Spring,…

LATEST RELEASE GOD’S NOT DEAD Explore what they really believe about God. Present-day college freshman and devout Christian, Josh Wheaton (Shane Harper), finds his faith challenged on his first day of Philosophy class by the dogmatic and argumentative Professor Radisson (Kevin Sorbo). Radisson begins class by informing students that they will need to disavow, in writing, the existence of God on that first day, or face a failing grade. As other students in the class begin scribbling the words “God Is Dead” on pieces of paper as instructed, Josh find himself at a crossroads, having to choose between his faith and his future. GOD’S NOT DEAD weaves together multiple stories of faith, doubt and disbelief, culminating in a dramatic call to action. The film will educate, entertain, and inspire moviegoers…