Watching and Praying over the UK's relationship with the EU
The decision over whether we 'stay in' or 'leave' the European Union has the potential of bringing significant division into every area of our society in the UK. As the body of Christ we need to be on our guard in prayer over our families, churches, communities, businesses and governments asking that His kingdom will come and His will be done in and for the UK as well as for the rest of Europe. As we go to press the EU leaders’ summit is about to take place on 18 - 19 February . If there is agreement then David Cameron will be in a position to announce a referendum date and the Yes and No campaigns will start in earnest.
Now is the time to watch and pray over the next stage of the negotiations that are taking place between the UK and the rest of the EU nations.
Germany: Freedom to speak
Intercessors in Germany write, ‘Since the Paris massacre, Istanbul attack and assaults in Cologne, feelings of unease and fear have intensified. Also, we now know that certain information was purposely withheld by official sources to avoid causing civil unrest in Cologne. Truth only came to light through unnamed police officers who revealed there was a ‘gag order’ to prevent the release of information about crimes committed by migrants. There was a one-sided reporting strategy by the media and politicians to steer the public into thinking they were being fully informed. But the ‘public’ is now being informed from other sources and see through the veil of propaganda. They protested with anger. Many said nothing so as not to be accused of being right-wing extremists. But Christians do not have a spirit of fear but of power and confidence. This word also means ‘freedom to speak’. Whoever is confident also speaks freely, without giving in to fear before God and mankind.'
Sweden: Under the weight of many thousands of refugees
A Swedish Christian writes, ‘Sweden has always wanted to have a generous immigration policy and grant asylum to all who need it. Therefore, many refugees have entered Sweden during the current wave. In 2015 there were 163,000 seeking asylum - a huge number for a nation with less than 10 million people and far more per capita than any other EU country. Therefore, the infrastructure finds it very difficult to cope with the demands for accommodation, handling of applications, schooling in Swedish and otherwise, health care, validation of professionals and helping people to find a job. The result is a long frustrating wait of up to two years for the outcome of an application and a rise of violence both inside and outside of asylum accommodation. Outside extremist groups/individuals opposed to the influx of refugees have been setting fire to asylum accommodation. Many incidents are also reported of Christian refugees being attacked and threatened. The churches are taking up the challenge and do a lot to help, for example making friends, teaching Swedish, arranging activities.’
Charges against street preacher fabricated
The Crown Prosecution Service has dropped all charges against Michael Jones, a street preacher of Hornsea, who was arrested and charged for comments made about Islam and IS. The accusations of shouting ‘All Muslims are terrorists, they should not be allowed in this country, Islam is not a religion it’s terrorism’ and ‘Islam does not preach the Bible’ were proven to be fabricated by a passer-by and a woman on her lunch break. Thankfully, Michael made a recording of all of his preaching, without which he would quite likely have been convicted and would now have a criminal record. Andrea Williams from the Christian Legal Centre said, ‘Michael was just exposing the evil of IS, as many others have attempted to do. He was faulted merely for linking the actions of this group back to their ideological foundations.’
