Brigada – 2024-03-31

In twelve weekly lessons, you’ll receive a briefing from

http://worldviews101.com

which provides a Christian perspective on the Tibetan Buddhist worldview held by the XIV Dalai Lama, the exiled god-king of Tibet. Over one billion people are influenced by the Buddhist worldview, many virtually unaware of its impact. Each session includes a multimedia presentation and a variety of complementary materials which range from MP3 files, charts, graphs, maps, and pdf’s. Learn more at…

http://www.worldviews101.com/?page_id=24

Just about. Christian Audio is featuring nearly everything in their store for $7.49. If you’re an audio listener, now’s a great time to buy.

http://christianaudio.com/

So pick up “Zeal without Burnout,” Christine Caine’s “Unashamed,” or review C.S. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity,” all for a cap of $7.49 now.

This 5-minute video by HistoryMakers features John Piper and Lecrae. It’s worth the watch. If you’d like a rap version of John Piper’s book, “Don’t Waste your Life,” (or the Great Commission), try this video.

Don't Waste Your Life from HistoryMakers on Vimeo.

Here’s an example of a faithful missionary wife blogging her life and experiences in SE Asia, then making the big-time at ForEveryMom.com

http://www.foreverymom.com/happened-scrubbing-kitchen-floor-toothbrush-elizabeth-trotters/

Hats off to Elizabeth for sharing your experiences with us — and, now, every mom! : )

Perhaps you’ve been as astounded as we have to hear David Garrison’s research — that more Muslims have come to Christ in the past 12 years than had come to Christ in the previous 12 CENTURIES. But have you wondered why? … or how? Well now we know. Warrick Farah did a GREAT study on this in International Journal of Frontier Missiology, and, for those who aren’t subscribed, he has shared the 8 major themes and a solid conclusion here…

http://muslimministry.blogspot.com/2013/10/how-are-muslims-coming-to-christ.html
Thanks Warrick!

Hats off to Brigada Commenter, Brian, who wrote to “encourage us all to first focus on Jesus. How would he want the Church to respond to individual Muslims? In what ways would He want us to engage with Muslims, even those who seem radical? Ultimately we know that the solution is spiritual. Having lived in 3 different Muslim countries, this truth was impossible to avoid (and I could say the same about the shifts in America!). And as part of our focusing on Jesus, let’s ask ourselves, individually and corporately, “Change my heart, O God. See if there be any offensive way in me….”

Here are some other practical suggestions Brian gave:
* Learn more about Muslims. Befriend one (or better yet, a family) and spend time with them. Invite them into your home. Accept their invitations to their home (I can all but guarantee will win for best hospitality).
* Read a book to better understand Muslims and how to lovingly engage them. There are way to many “Christian leaders” out there instilling fear & hatred. “Muslims, Christians and Jesus: Gaining Understanding and Building Relationships” is a good place to start (http://amzn.to/1S4SWti).
* Pray – seriously pray – regularly for Muslims, for peace, and the coming of God’s kingdom. If I could pass a law, it would be “No complaining about Muslims or Islam without at least praying daily right now during Ramadan.” Try http://calledtopray.net/ (a neat story-based prayer guide) or the annual http://pray30days.org/.
* Addressing radical Islam – As others have written, in many Muslim countries, people are easily radicalized because of deplorable economic conditions (often fueled by corrupt and possibly oppressive governments). Consider how the Church can be a part of helping them. Research has shown that Muslims who are being radicalized could just as easily be turned toward Jesus (Saul -> Paul anyone?!).
* Learn about & support groups doing innovative work among Muslims.”

Thanks Brian!

Recently, we presented orgs willing to serve as non-profit umbrellas for you.

https://brigada.org/2016/06/05_18509

Thanks to Chris, who added one — Mission Enablers International at…

http://missionenablersintl.org/

Thanks Chris!

We recently reported on research by Patrick Johnstone about the number of Muslims who had recently turned to follow Jesus. When our good friend, Marti, asked about whether or not this had been published, it set us on a quest. We found one rather scholarly report which would make a GREAT citation at…

https://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2016/05/27/study-finds-10-million-muslims-have-become-followers-of-christ-since-1960/

It’s by a gentleman named Joel Rosenberg who is a New York Times best-selling author of 11 novels and five non-fiction books, with more than 3 million copies sold. He lived 24 years in Washington, DC, and currently lives in Israel. Sharp guy. Check out his article.

To our connection with MD Live, for sending a $100 gift to Brigada this past week. We’re not only thankful for the gift, but also for the partnership — because MD Live makes such good sense, especially for all those who are working far away from any medical doctor or any other form of Western medical treatment/information. God bless you all!

Want to join them in giving Brigada a boost in getting the message out to the nations? Just mail a check payable to Team Expansion (Brigada), 13711 Willow Reed Drive, Louisville, KY 40299. Team Expansion is a 501(c)3 incorporation so, for USA citizens, your gift to Christ through Team Expansion is tax-deductible. If you’d rather give online, just click “Donate” in the upper right corner of any Brigada webpage.

You’ve heard it off and on now for a year. “Most refugees since World War II.” “More migrants since the 1940’s.” And then someone would say, “Perhaps more than ever.” But did any of us know for sure — really? Now we do. The UN Refugee Agency (the UNHCR) just released a new report finding 65.3 million people were displaced

http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/news/latest/2016/6/5763b65a4/global-forced-displacement-hits-record-high.html

This translates to 1 in 113 displaced by conflict and persecution. That’s 24 people per MINUTE throughout the entire year in 2015. The numbers are so great, they represent more than the combined populations of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand combined. The 65.3 million refugees would be equal to the population of Thailand and larger than the entire United Kingdom… Bigger than Italy — roughly equal to the combined populations of Saudi Arabia and Morocco. If these were cities in the USA, they would represent the populations of the 109 largest cities in the country — all combined. Some 3.2 million are awaiting asylum decisions in industrialized countries. 40.8 million are internally displaced. Three countries produced half of all refugees: Syria at 4.9 million, Afghanistan at 2.7 million and Somalia at 1.1. But you’ll never guess the country with the most INTERNALLY displaced people. Colombia at 6.9 million, Syria at 6.6 million and Iraq at 4.4 million had the largest numbers of IDP’s. Turkey ended up taking honors for being willing to host the most refugees outright — at 2.5 million. But Lebanon hosted the most when compared to the home population. Children make up 51% of the total. Many are separated from their parents or traveling alone.