The church is the most magnificent concept ever created. It has survived persistent abuse, horrifying persecution, and widespread neglect. Yet despite its faults (due to our sinfulness), it is still God’s chosen instrument of blessing and has been for 2000 years.
The church will last for eternity, and because it is God’s instrument for ministry here on Earth, it is truly the greatest force on the face of the Earth. That’s why I believe that tackling the world’s biggest problems – the giants of spiritual lostness, egocentric leadership, poverty, disease, and ignorance – can only be done through the church.
The church has eight distinct advantages over the efforts of business and government:
1.    The Church provides for the largest participation
Most people have no idea how many Christians there are in the world: More than 2 billion people claim to be followers of Jesus Christ. That’s one third of the world’s population! The church has about a billion more people than the entire nation of China.
FOR THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE, PLEASE SEE OUR OCTOBER ISSUE OF JOY!

Since Russian President, Vladimir Putin, signed a new Anti-Terrorism Law into effect, news reports and social media postings have sounded the alarm that Russia is outlawing Evangelism! However, there is little reason to assume that this Anti-Terrorism Law is designed to harass, or persecute, Bible-believing Christians. There have been violent terrorist attacks by radical Muslim groups within Russia and this new Anti-Terrorism Law is primarily targeted towards those promoting Jihad.
 
Is Religious Freedom at Risk?
 
Could this legislation result in harassing Bible-believing Christians in Russia? That remains to be seen. When some media have alleged that religious freedom is at risk in Russia, they are playing games with words. Russians see Faith as inherently public and political. The worldview of Russian Orthodoxy is holistic and organic. They do not recognise the sharp divisions between church and state that secular societies, such as the US, demand. The Russian Orthodox Church is looked to by Russians for their meaning and purpose in life. Russia has returned to the principle of symphonia, or institutionalised harmonious relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian state. The Orthodox Church enjoys privileges of political preference and is respected as the protector of Russia’s national identity and faith.
…FOR THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE, PLEASE SEE OUR OCTOBER ISSUE OF JOY!

It gives me immense pleasure to be able to share with you the divine healing testimony of God’s miraculous power over my husband’s life. We reside in a town called Stanger, on the North Coast of KwaZulu Natal. 
 
Our nightmare began on the night of 24th April 2015. My husband, Sathiah Shanmagum (known to all as Sparie), started experiencing severe abdominal pains. Brushing it off as being a flu bug, he had taken pain medication and said he would go to the doctor in the morning. As the night progressed the pains became unbearable. This continued until 5am, morning of 25th April 2015. Unable to see him in this pain, I immediately drove him to the nearest private hospital, Alberlito Hospital in Ballito. Throughout the journey he screamed with pain unable to make the journey with ease.
 
On entry to the casualty department, numerous tests were being done on him. The attending doctor was very thorough in her examination and all they could do was administer pain medication until the various blood results come in. As soon as the blood results were in, the doctor approached us and said, “Mr Shanmagum, you have a condition called Pancreatitis.” I stood there dumbfounded, as that was the first time I had ever heard of such a condition, let alone pronounce it.
 
 
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